SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CORRELATES OF NUMBER OF PREVIOUS DEPRESSIVE EPISODES IN THE DEPRESSED ELDERLY

Age of onset has been used as a correlate of depressive symptomatology in the elderly, Examining frequency of episodes may improve our abili ty to make such correlations. The authors studied variations in an ind ex presentation of depression in late life based on the number of prev ious depressive episodes, Having more than two previous episodes (as c ompared to two or less) was related to younger age, early age of onset , dysthymia, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, slow ed thoughts, suicidal ideation, generalized anxiety, and decreased per ceptions of social support. In a logistic regression model, significan t predictors of more than two previous episodes were young age, early age of onset, dysthymia, suicidality, and lower perceived social suppo rt. Patients with many episodes may be at higher risk for more severe illness and may require more aggressive treatment.