Depressive morbidity among elderly individuals who are hospitalized, reside at long-term care facilities, and are under outpatient care in Brazil: a meta-analysis

Objectives:

i) To investigate studies published between 1991 and 2010 on the prevalence of depressive morbidity (major depressive disorder [MDD], dysthymia and clinically significant depressive symptoms [CSDS]) among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities; ii) to establish the prevalence of depression and identify its related factors; and iii) to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of depressive syndrome among elderly individuals assisted or hospitalized at healthcare facilities.

Methods:

Studies were selected from articles dated between January 1991 and June 2010 and extracted from the MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases.

Results:

The final analysis consisted of 15 studies, distributed as follows: i) four sampled hospitalized patients, totaling 299 individuals, and found a prevalence of CSDS varying between 20 and 56%; ii) four sampled outpatients, totaling 1,454 individuals; the prevalence of CSDS varied between 11 and 65%, and the prevalence of MDD varied between 23 and 42%; and iii) seven sampled elderly individuals residing in long-term care facilities (LTCF), totaling 839 individuals, and the prevalence of CSDS varied between 11 and 65%.

Conclusion:

The present review indicated a higher prevalence of both MDD and CSDS among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities.

Geriatric psychiatry; mood disorders - unipolar; chronic psychiatric illness; inpatient psychiatry; epidemiology