The validity of the Montgomery–Aasberg depression rating scale as a screening tool for depression in later life

Engedal, Knut; Kvaal, Kari; Korsnes, Maria Stylianou; Barca, Maria Lage; Borza, Tom; Selbæk, Geir; Aakhus, Eivind

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.02.042

Cited by 42 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 264 publications

(400 reference statements)

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“…Each of the scale’s 10 items can be rated from 0 to 6, which generates a total score ranging from 0 to 60; a higher score denotes more severe depression. The scale has been validated in the Norwegian language for use with older patients [32, 33]. Up to 2 missing items were replaced by 0.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also a checkpoint for “not possible to evaluate.” The range on the scale is from 0 to 38, and a higher score denotes more severe depression [34]. The Norwegian version has been validated and its reliability tested among patients with and without dementia in hospitals and nursing homes [33, 35, 36]. Up to 4 missing items were replaced by 0.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults with Depression Are Associated with Suicidality

Bendixen

Engedal

Selbæk

et al. 2018

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

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Objective: Anxiety symptoms are common in older adults with depression, but whether severe anxiety is associated with poorer outcomes of depression is unknown. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between severity of anxiety and severity of depression and physical illness, suicidality, and physical and cognitive functioning in older adults with depression. Methods: We included 218 older adults with diagnoses of a depressive disorder according to the ICD-10 criteria; their mean age (SD) was 75.6 (7.2), and 67.0% were women. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) was used to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. The Montgomery-Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used to assess the severity of depression. We obtained information on the level of functioning with the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS) by Lawton and Brody and on cognition with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clock-Drawing Test (CDT). Physical health was determined based on information regarding falls and weight loss and an assessment of each patient’s general medical condition. The treating physician evaluated current suicidality in a comprehensive and standardized way. Results: Higher GAI scores were significantly associated with scores on the MADRS (β = 0.233, p = 0.002) and suicidality (β = 0.206, p = 0.006). Levels of physical or cognitive functioning were not associated with the GAI score. Conclusion: The severity of anxiety symptoms was associated with the severity of depression and suicidality in older adults with depressive disorders. The results could indicate a need to focus greater attention on the treatment of anxiety and suicidality in older patients with depression.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults with Depression Are Associated with Suicidality

Bendixen

Engedal

Selbæk

et al. 2018

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

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“…This scale has ten items; each can be rated from 0 to 6, resulting in a total range from 0 to 60. A higher score denotes more severe depression (Montgomery & Aasberg, 1979; see also Engedal et al, 2012). To assess anxiety, we applied the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI).…”

Section: Assessment Of the Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol and prescribed psychotropic drug use among patients admitted to a department of old-age psychiatry in Norway

Johannesen

Engedal

Larsen

et al. 2017

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

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Background: Although alcohol and prescribed psychotropic drug use has increased among older people, the usefulness of information provided about these substances in patients’ referrals to departments of old-age psychiatry (OAPsy) is unknown. Aims: To examine whether patients’ self-reported elevated use of alcohol and prescribed psychotropic drugs corresponds with information provided in the referrals to OAPsy departments and to explore the factors associated with elevated self-reported use of these substances. Methods: We recorded the information provided in referrals about the elevated use of alcohol and psychotropic drugs in a sample of 206 patients (69 men) from 12 OAPsy departments. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) helped to assess self-reported use. We also collected demographic data, as well as information about cognitive functioning and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results: Seventy-three patients (35%) scored above the cut-off for alcohol use for women/men (AUDIT ≥ 3/4) or psychotropic drugs (DUDIT ≥ 6/8), if not both. Twenty patients (10%) reported an elevated use of both alcohol and psychotropic drugs, and the referrals for eight (40%) and ten (50%) of them, respectively, included information about this use. There was a significant association between self-reported use of alcohol above the cut-off and information about elevated use in the referrals. However, no such association was found between information in the referrals and self-reported use of prescribed psychotropic drugs. Elevated alcohol use was associated with more years of education, while elevated use of psychotropic drugs was associated with younger age and severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: The information reported in referrals about the elevated use of alcohol and psychotropic drugs demonstrated a trend in associations with self-reported use. However, the risk factors for elevated use of alcohol and psychotropic drugs in the elderly need to be examined further.

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“…There are several Depression Scales that have been evaluated for several age groups, e.g. the MADRS that has been shown to be valid screening instrument also for depression in elderly patients [102].…”

Section: Co-factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Effects of Late Life Depression: Review of Neuropsychological Findings

Korsnes¹,

Ulstein²

2014

JBBS

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Normal aging and depression both slow information processing speed which leads to poorer attentional control, shallower inhibition monitoring, poorer encoding, poorer updating of short term memory, and subsequent poorer learning, set-shifting, error monitoring, inhibition control, and cognitive planning. A combination of aging and depression amplifies these cognitive effects. Deterioration in frontal brain functioning in normal aging is irreversible, but altering of frontal brain function due to depression may be reversible. Since the symptoms are indistinguishable, it is difficult to separate effects of depression and aging with use of neuropsychological tests, even when premorbid history is known. Statistical group effects show more severe cognitive effects in late life depression than in normal aging or depression in younger persons, but no particular cognitive markers of depression in older subjects have been identified. Attention and inhibition are closely related, but their relationship needs to be studied further. It is not clear, whether a problem with inhibition of irrelevant stimuli occurs because of attentional deficits due to late life depression, or if it is a primary consequence of the depression. Further studies on the relationship between inhibition, attention and processing speed involving homogeneous depressed and nondepressed groups of different age may help disentangle this relationship.

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The validity of the Montgomery–Aasberg depression rating scale as a screening tool for depression in later life

Abstract: The MADRS has good discriminating power to detect depression in elderly persons and should be preferred to the CSDD for use with persons without dementia.

Cited by 42 publications

References 264 publications

Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults with Depression Are Associated with Suicidality

Anxiety Symptoms in Older Adults with Depression Are Associated with Suicidality

Alcohol and prescribed psychotropic drug use among patients admitted to a department of old-age psychiatry in Norway

Cognitive Effects of Late Life Depression: Review of Neuropsychological Findings

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