I’ll be honest – this didn’t come as much of a shock to me.  It seems that women have always been more of the social butterfly variety, and when they don’t have that interaction, it can lead to prolonged bouts of depression.  My grandmother in PA is going through this right now because she went from having her husband and youngest son living at home to being home alone after they both passed away last year.  Family still pop in to see her almost daily, but it isn’t the same level of conversation and interaction as she once had.  Anyways, here’s the story…

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There’s more news on depression in older adults that highlights the importance of keeping an eye out for possible signs in clients of this very common type of mental illness. A study by Yale University School of Medicine researchers finds that older women appear to be more susceptible to depression—but are less likely to die while depressed—than are older men.  Researchers evaluated a group of 754 individuals age 70 and older beginning in 1998. Participants were asked to provide demographic information, take cognitive tests and report any medical conditions at the beginning of the study and at follow-up assessments every 18 months. They also were screened for symptoms of depression (for more information, see the report on the Yale University School of Medicine Web site at http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/08-02-06-01.all.html.) 

Over the course of the study, 269 participants were depressed at some point. Of those, 48 remained depressed during two consecutive time periods; 30 at three time points; 17 at four points; and 12 at all five. More women than men were depressed at each 18-month follow-up, and women were more likely than men to experience depression at subsequent time points. 

“Adjusting for other demographic characteristics, women had a higher likelihood of transitioning from non-depressed to depressed and a lower likelihood of transitioning from depressed to non-depressed or death,” the authors wrote.  Moreover, they said the finding that depression is more persistent in older women than older men is surprising because women are more likely to receive medications or other treatment for depression.

And here’s a sample from the Yale website…

The Yale team also found that women were less likely to die while depressed than older men, indicating that women live longer with depression than men. This factor, along with the higher likelihood of women becoming depressed and remaining depressed, collectively contribute to the higher burden of depression among older women.

Major depression affects about one to two percent of older adults living in the community, according to the authors, but as many as 20 percent experience symptoms of depression. It is unclear why symptoms of depression affect older women more than older men.

 Lead author of the study, Lisa C. Barry, associate research scientist in the Yale School of Public Health, and colleagues evaluated a group of 754 individuals age 70 and older from 1998 to 2005. Participants were asked to provide demographic information, take cognitive tests and report any medical conditions at the start of the study and at follow-up assessments conducted every 18 months. Barry and her team screened participants for depression symptoms—such as lack of appetite, feeling sad or sleep problems—exhibited during the previous week. 

During the study, 35.7 percent of the participants were depressed at some point. Of those, 17.8 percent remained depressed during two consecutive time points, 11.2 percent at three time points, 6.3 percent at four points and 4.5 percent at all five time points. More men than women were depressed at each 18-month follow-up and women were more likely than men to experience depression at subsequent time points. Women had a higher likelihood of transitioning from non-depressed to depressed, and a lower likelihood of transitioning from depressed to non-depressed or death.

The team found that nearly 40 percent of the depressed participants were depressed during at least two consecutive time points. “This highlights the need to initiate and potentially maintain antidepressant treatment after resolution of the initial depressive episode,” said Barry, who is a Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellow.

“Our findings provide strong evidence that depression is more persistent in older women than older men,” said Barry. “We were surprised by this finding because women are more likely to receive medications or other treatment for depression. Further studies are needed to determine whether women are treated less aggressively than men for late-life depression, or if women are less likely to respond to conventional treatment.”