Depression in the elderly: a survey of urban community of Hayatabad, Peshawar

Authors

  • Rashid Iqbal Professor & Head Department of Community Medicine, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Jawad Zahid Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Sadaf Ibrahim Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Hassam Khan Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Husnul Maab Ali Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Iqra Arif Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Nawal Rafiq Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
  • Waseem Javed Khattak Final Year MBBS Student, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Abstract

Introduction: Depression in the elderly is often a neglected issue, being ignored as a normal phenomenon of old age. Thus, it deprives a society of the immense contributions that elders can make in providing guidance and counseling to younger members of the society, besides adversely affecting the health of the elderly.
Objective: To determine the magnitude of depression among elderly citizens of Hayatabad, Peshawar using the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form.
Materials & Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in the well-to-do rural community of Hayatabad, Peshawar from May 2017 to April 2019 with approval from the department of Community Medicine, Rehman Medical College, Peshawar. Only those subjects who were 65 years of age or above were included after informed consent. Data were collected using Geriatric Depression Scale (GSD) short form, which comprises of 15 structured questions. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 for descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 253 subjects from both genders were included, mean age of subjects was 70 ± 5.73 years; 144 (56.92%) were male and 109 (43.08%) were female. Depression category according to Geriatric depression Scale was normal in 112 (44.27%), mild depression in 102 (40.32%) and severe depression in 39 (15.41%).
Conclusion: A high prevalence of depression was noted in the rural community of Hayatabad, Peshawar, highlighting the need for implementing necessary steps needed to address this serious issue.
Keywords: Depression; Prevalence; Depressive Disorder; Public Health.

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Published

2019-07-10

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2019): Journal of Rehman Medical Institute

Section

Original Articles