DEPRESSION IN THE ELDERLY : Myths and Misconceptions - 11/09/11
Résumé |
Near the end of his life, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow35 was standing at his front door when a woman dressed in black came up to him and asked: “Is this the house where Longfellow was born?” He replied: “No, he was not born here.” “Did he die here?” “Not yet,” he replied: “Are you Longfellow?” “I am.” She then stated: “I thought you died two years ago.”
As was the premature assumption of Longfellow's death, many beliefs about old age are mythical. This is certainly the case concerning depression in the elderly. This article focuses on five such myths. The myths are that, in comparison with depression at younger ages, depression in late life is
1 | Symptomatically different |
2 | More common |
3 | More chronic |
4 | More difficult to treat |
5 | More often caused by psychological factors |
Plan
| Address reprint requests to Dan G. Blazer, MD, PhD, Box 3005, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 This work was supported by NIA Contract NO1 AG 1 2102 (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly/Duke). |
Vol 20 - N° 1
P. 111-119 - mars 1997 Retour au numéro
Article précédent
- DELIRIUM IN THE ELDERLY
- Sandra A. Jacobson
- BIPOLAR MOOD DISORDERS IN THE ELDERLY
- Robert C. Young
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