Detection of depression in elderly hospitalized patients in emergency wards in France using the CES-D and the mini-GDS: Preliminary experiences

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mini-GDS and the C ES-D as instruments to detect depression in elderly hospitalized patients i n emergency wards in France. Methods. The CES-D was used on two cohorts of 60 non-cognitively impaired p atients aged 70 or more. The mini-GDS uas also used on the second of the tw o cohorts administered by a medical intern. These ratings were compared wit h a diagnosis of depressive disorder by ICD-10 criteria. Results, The study population had a high (58%) prevalence of depression and a low level of active psychiatric referral. Mini-GDS and CES-D scores were well correlated (0.72, p < 0.001); the mini-GDS, with a cutoff score of 1, gave optimum sensitivity (88%) and specificity (63%). Conclusion. The use of the mini-GDS may aid the detection of depression in patients in emergency wards. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.