A study on the symptom profile of depressive disorder in elderly Turkish patients: A factor analysis study

Abstract

Aim: Depressive disorder manifests itself differently in elderly patients due to the symptom profile. We conducted this study on apopulation of elderly major depressive disorder patients in Turkey with the aim of determining the sociodemographic characteristics,distribution, and associations of their symptoms.Material and Method: A retrospective study of 137 patients hospitalized during the last ten years in the Geropsychiatric Clinic of theDepartment of Psychiatry, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University. The patients were diagnosed according to the DSMIV criteria.Results: Majority (51.8%) of the patients were female, most of which were married (65%). The most common symptoms in elderlypatients in order of frequency were distress 112 (81.8%) anxiety 97 (70.8%), and insomnia 96 (70.1%). The least frequently observedsymptoms were disorientation 5 (3.6%), nihilistic delusions 5 (3.6%), and increased appetite 2 (2.2%). The symptoms clustered inaccordance with the DSM IV system.Conclusion: It was concluded that the sociodemographic characteristics and weighted distribution of symptoms in Turkish geriatricdepression patients were closely in parallel with the existing literature. However, results indicate a need to repeat this study in orderto explore the same in a general Turkish population.