Depression is a serious mental condition and a common form of mental illness among people of all ages. Geriatric depression encompasses the psychological, social and physical health of the elderly. The purpose of the present research was to study and determine the prevalence of depression amongst the elderly population of 60 years or more of age in the Darjeeling Hills of India. The 300 older subjects were interviewed using a pre-structured questionnaire comprising the socio-demographic information and a pre-validated 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form developed by Yesavage JA to assess the depression among the elderly. In this study the overall prevalence of depression in the elderly in the study population was 53.67% due to social insecurity, fear, anxiety, feeling of worthlessness and adverse life events among the elderly. The study findings can improve their quality of life by implementing a comprehensive strategy in the community to promote mental health and adding years to their life.
Geriatric, Depression, Elderly, Aging, Screening
