Over the last decade researchers have noted a sharp decrease in the number of severe depression cases, especially among older Americans aged 50 years and above.
In the United States of America, older adults comprise of the largest group of people diagnosed with severe depression. Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found that between 1998 and 2008, rates of severe depression fell among older adults, especially the elderly.
"Over that decade, we saw a significant decrease in depression among older adults, and we need further studies to explore whether this is the result of improved treatment," said lead author Kara Zivin, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry in the U-M Medical School and research investigator at the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, in a press statement. "Even with signs of progress, however, a significant percent of our population is still experiencing severe symptoms of depression, and we need to do more to ensure all of these groups have proper access to treatment."
Depression among older adults has been a major concern for health care providers. At this age many people tend to fall into depression because of health issues, loss of loved ones and isolation. However, scientists were happy to note a change in this trend with depression rates falling most profoundly in people aged between 80 and 85.
"We were pleased to see that there appears to be an overall improvement in depressive symptoms in the US, which is most likely related to better recognition and treatment. We are hopeful that our findings highlight the importance of depression diagnosis and treatment, and that we continue to make progress in developing better ways to systematically improve the outcomes of patients with depression," said senior author Sandeep Vijan, M.D., M.S., associate professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and a research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System.
Contrarily, late middle agers between ages 55-59 appeared to experience increased depression over the 10 year period. Zivin says that the reason behind this shift remains unclear and further studies need to be conducted to determine the reason.
The study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
