PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA AND DEPRESSION . I. IN POPULATION 60 YEARS OLD AND OVE'R' IN A "'{ e .._ VILLAGE IN MINOlTFIYA GOVERNORATE

Abstract

Older people with mental disorders constitute a significant subgroup of the elderly population. At least 12% of older adults in the community have diagnosable mental disorders. Depression and dementia are two common problems among the elderly that may be difficult to differentiate.

The aim of the present work is to study the prevalence of dementia and depression in the population aged 60 years old and over in a village in Minoufiya (Egypt).

The present study is a cross-sectional population based study .It was conducted on all people aged 60 years old and over in Meet Afya one of Minoufiya governorate village. Each patient was subjected to Ten- Word List learning task, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) & Geriatric Mental State Assessment scale (GMS) the Arabic version. The number of the population aged 60 years old and over was 257.

From the study we found that, the prevalence psychiatric disorder made by OMS was as depression cases constitute (8.4%) of all diagnoses, followed by, organicity (dementia) (4.4%), anxiety neurosis (2.8%), hypochondriasis (2%).obsession (0.8%) and schizophrenia (0.8%).

From the study we found that GMS had a high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of depression and dementia as confirmed by the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria.

We found that most prevalent type of depressive disorders by DSM­ IV diagnostic criteria in the studied population was minor type (8%) followed by the major one (0.6%) & dysthymia at last (0.8%). Regarding dementia, Alzheimer's dementia was the most prevalent

(2.4%) followed by vascular one (2 %).