Skip Navigation


Family Practice Advance Access originally published online on January 20, 2007
Family Practice 2007 24(2):168-180; doi:10.1093/fampra/cml071
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow supplementary data
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
24/2/168    most recent
cml071v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Licht-Strunk, E.
Right arrow Articles by Beekman, A. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Licht-Strunk, E.
Right arrow Articles by Beekman, A. T.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

The prognosis of depression in older patients in general practice and the community. A systematic review

Els Licht-Strunka, Daniëlle AWM van der Windta,c, Harm WJ van Marwijka, Marten de Haana and Aartjan TF Beekmanb

a Department of General Practice
b Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Extramural Medicine (EMGO), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
c Primary Care Sciences Research Centre, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK

Correspondence to Els Licht-Strunk, Department of General Practice, Institute for Extramural Medicine (EMGO), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Email: e.licht{at}vumc.nl

Received 10 July 2006; Revised 10 November 2006; Accepted 4 December 2006.


  Abstract

Background. Little is known about the prognosis of depression in older patients in general practice or the community.

Objectives. To summarize available evidence on the course and prognostic factors of depression in older persons.

Methods. We conducted a systematic, computerized search of Medline and PsycINFO. Manual search of references of included studies were done. Studies potentially eligible for inclusion were discussed by two reviewers. Methodological quality was independently assessed by two reviewers. Data regarding selection criteria, duration of follow-up, outcome of depression and prognostic factors were extracted.

Results. We identified 40 studies reporting on four cohorts in general practice and 17 in the community. Of all, 67% were of high quality. Follow-up was up to 1 year in general practice and up to 10 years in the community. Information on treatment was hardly provided. About one in three patients developed a chronic course. Five cohorts used more than two measurements during follow-up, illustrating a fluctuating course of depression. Using a best evidence synthesis we summarized the value of prognostic indicators. General practice studies did not provide strong evidence for any factor. Community studies provided strong evidence for an association of baseline depression level, older age, external locus of control, somatic co-morbidity and functional limitations with persistent depression.

Conclusion. Within the older population, age seems to be a negative prognostic factor, while older people are more likely to be exposed to most of the other prognostic factors identified.

Licht-Strunk E, van der Windt DAWM, van Marwijk HWJ, de Haan M, Beekman ATF. The prognosis of depression in older patients in general practice and the community. A systematic review. Family Practice 2007; 24: 168–180.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.