A disproportionate number of older adults suffer from depression, according to data collected by the National Institute of Mental Health. It is estimated that millions of senior citizens suffer from dementia. And older adults commit suicide at higher rates compared to other age groups.
Now a new systematic review investigates whether depression among older adults leads to dementia. The review, published in the British Journal of Psychology, used 23 population-based prospective studies of people 50 years and older to determine whether there is a link between depression and dementia in older adults. The analysis found that depression among older adults is in fact linked to dementia.
The analysis included nearly 50,000 patients,5,000 of whom suffered from depression. Patients who were depressed were significantly more likely to develop dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, with the risk for vascular dementia significantly higher than the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The authors suggest that preventing depression – along with focusing on other healthy behaviors – could help prevent dementia among older adults. They also call for new clinical trials to investigate the potential impact of depression treatments on the risk for dementia and cognitive impairments.
Cornell gerontologist Karl Pillemer focuses his research on n human development over the life course, with a special emphasis on family and social relationships in middle age and beyond.
“Depression among older people is a prevalent and often under-treated problem,” he said. “Because growing older can involve both chronic illness and loss, some people assume that it is almost inevitable among this population. However, we must remember that depression is not a normal part of aging, and that effective treatments exist for people of any age. The evidence that depression may actually raise the risk of dementia makes it even more critical to address this problem in later life.”
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