DEPRESSION IN DEMENTIA SUFFERERS

A large number of studies concerning depression in dementia sufferers have appeared in the literature over the last few years and have added to our knowledge considerably. The prevalence rate of concurrent depr ession and dementia among clinical samples is approximately 20% with l ower rates in the community. There is relatively little information av ailable regarding patients in nursing homes, which is a priority for r esearch along with the study of milder depression. Although there have been a number of interesting developments regarding possible neuroche mical associations of depression among these patients, there has been little study of psychosocial factors. The symptoms of depression are s imilar to those seen in patients without cognitive impairment. Concurr ent depression creates considerable excess disability. More informatio n is required about the natural course of these disorders and treatmen t strategies.