Abstract
Objective: The association between depressive symptoms and mortality was assessed in a 7-year longitudinal follow-up of subjects referred for geropsychiatric consultation. Methods: The medical records of 89 referrals were reviewed. Survival analysis was performed on subjects stratified by Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and residential status. Results: Fifty percent of subjects with GDS > 6 (n = 28) died by 19 months versus 54 months for subjects with GDS < 7 (n = 61) (χ2 = 13.2, df = 1, P < .001). GDS, medical burden, age, and gender were independently associated with survival. Conclusions: GDS scores greater than 6 are associated with increased risk of mortality in elders referred for geropsychiatric consultation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 318-321 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of the American Medical Directors Association |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2007 |
Keywords
- Depression
- elders
- longitudinal cohort
- mortality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Health Policy
- General Nursing