Prevalence of depression among memory clinic patients as measured by the Cornell Scale of Depression in Dementia

• Published in: Aging & mental health Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 579 - 587
• Main Authors: Knapskog, Anne-Brita, Barca, Maria L., Engedal, Knut
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 04.07.2014
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer's disease; Cornell scale; Dementia; Dementia - psychology; Depression; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Female; Health care; Humans; Male; Measurement; Memory; memory clinic; Mental health; Mental illness; Middle Aged; Outpatient clinics; Patients; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; prevalence; dementia; Cornell scale; depression; memory clinic
• ISSN: 1360-7863; 1364-6915
• DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2013.827630

Objectives: Depression in dementia is common, but the prevalence rates differ according to the populations studied and which diagnostic tools are being used. The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of depression among patients referred to a memory clinic or an outpatient clinic as measured by the Cornell Scale of Depression in dementia (CSDD) and to investigate which factors are associated with depression. Method: The CSDD was completed for 1470 patients on their first visit to a memory clinic or an outpatient clinic. The prevalence of depression using three different cut-off points was calculated. Logistic regression and correlation analyses were performed. Results: Half of the patients had dementia. The mean CSDD was 6.7 (SD: 5.3) for the whole group, and 50.2% had a score above 5, whereas 37.5% had depression defined as a CSDD score above 7, and 14.1% had a score above 12. The mean scores were higher among those with dementia other than Alzheimer's disease, those with previous depression, and those with greater impairment in the activities of daily living (ADL). In the logistic regression analyses, younger age, ADL dysfunction, and previous depression were significantly associated with higher CSDD scores. Conclusion: We found that depressive symptoms are common among patients referred for a dementia assessment in specialist health care. The strongest factors associated with depressive symptoms were younger age, ADL impairment, and previous depression.