Phenomenology of depression in older compared with younger adults: Meta-analysis

Late-life depression may differ from early-life depression in its phenomenology. To investigate the effect of age on the phenomenology of major depression. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO for all studies examining the relation between age and phenomenology of major d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 2012-04, Vol.200 (4), p.275-281
Main Authors: Hegeman, J. M., Kok, R. M., van der Mast, R. C., Giltay, E. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Age
Age Factors
Age groups
Aged
Aging
Agitation
Anxiety
Apathy
Depression
Depressive Disorder - epidemiology
Geriatrics
Guilt
Humans
Hypochondriasis
Mental depression
Meta-analysis
Middle Aged
Older people
Phenomenology
Population
Psychiatry
Quality
Review article
Reviews
Risk Factors
Sexual messages
Somatic symptoms
Standard deviation
Systematic review
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Late-life depression may differ from early-life depression in its phenomenology. To investigate the effect of age on the phenomenology of major depression. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO for all studies examining the relation between age and phenomenology of major depression according to RDC, DSM and ICD criteria. Studies were included only if the age groups were compared at the single-item level using the 17-, 21- or 24-item versions of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; a meta-analysis was done for each item of the 17-item scale. Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria. Older depressed adults, compared with younger depressed adults, demonstrated more agitation, hypochondriasis and general as well as gastrointestinal somatic symptoms, but less guilt and loss of sexual interest. The phenomenology of late-life depression differs only in part from that of early-life depression. Major depression in older people may have a more somatic presentation, whereas feelings of guilt and loss of sexual function may be more prevalent in younger people.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.095950