Depression at the Third Age

The paper presents the main features of depression in the elderly. It is a review of the literature on the symptoms and causes of depression in the elderly, prevalence in different countries and different forms of psychological treatment. This study examined the rate of depressive symptoms in elderly living alone comparative with those that live with their family. The Beck depression Inventory, the short form with 12 questions, was used on a group of 40 subjects, of which 20 were SE group (single elders) and 20 were EF (elderly in the family). Descriptive frequencies and tests of mean difference were utilized to examine differences between the two groups. The results obtained indicate that there are significant differences between the single elderly and the elderly in couples. The scale's items reffering to depressive disposition, the feeling of failure, irritability, fatigability and somatic concern present higher values in the group of SE in comparuison with the group EF. The study indicates that single elders show a higher depression rate than the elderly living in the couple. They have a have a stronger sense of failure, are more irritable and feel tired for a longer period of time during the day. It would be beneficial for them to be included in social activities like those offered by day care centers.