Prevalence of Depression among Geriatric Population in Old Age Homes of South Delhi

Background: Ageing population is increasing globally year by year. Around 15% of adults aged 60 and above suffer from a mental disorder and depression being the commonest among them. Geriatric mental health and physical condition are more important for perceiving good quality of life. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three old age homes of South Delhi. Data was collected using a structured, pre-tested, validated questionnaire - Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). After obtaining consent from the participants, the required number of samples (n=105) were collected through systematic random sampling method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS v21. Results: Overall prevalence of depression was found to be 73.3%. Of which 26.7% had mild depression, 31.4% had moderate depression and 41.9% had severe depression respectively. Statistical significance (p<0.05) was found between married, illiterate, female by gender, those with no regular income, those who had associated co-morbidities, participants whose family/friends did not visit regularly and depression. Conclusion: Increased prevalence of depression among the geriatric population residing in old ages indicates the growing mental health burden and the need for it to be identified at early stage and treated with proper therapeutic measures.