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   Severe depression linked to dementia in seniors   
   April 12, 2016   
      
       
   Severe depression linked to dementia in seniors   
      
   (HealthDay)—Major and worsening depression may significantly increase   
   seniors' risk of dementia, a new study suggests.   
      
      
       
   The research included close to 2,500 people in their 70s who did not have any   
   signs of dementia at the start of the study. The participants were monitored   
   for five years for symptoms of depression, and then for six years for signs of   
   dementia.   
      
   Dementia developed in just over 21 percent of participants with serious and   
   escalating symptoms of depression, compared to about 12 percent of those with   
   consistently minimal symptoms of depression, the findings showed.   
      
   "Our results raise the possibility that older adults' cognitive [mental]   
   health could be improved with interventions to reduce depressive symptoms,   
   such as psychotherapy or other behavioral interventions, or medications," said   
   study author Allison Kaup.    
   She is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the   
   University of California, San Francisco.   
      
   "This is an important topic for future treatment studies to investigate," she   
   said in a university news release.   
      
   Kaup said researchers can't rule out the possibility that depression might be   
   an early signal of dementia or an emotional response to a decline in thinking   
   and memory skills. And the association seen in the study does not prove   
   cause-and-effect.   
      
   However, "we found an almost twofold [dementia] increase among those with high   
   and increasing symptoms" of depression, she said. "This suggests that a   
   particular pattern of depressive symptoms may be an independent risk factor."   
      
   For many reasons, older patients should be screened for depression, including   
   "a wealth of research showing that a variety of health and lifestyle factors   
   influence cognitive health, such as physical activity and maintaining good   
   cardiovascular health.    
   Likewise, it appears that emotional health is important for cognitive health   
   in aging," Kaup said.   
      
   The study appeared in a recent issue of the journal JAMA Psychiatry.   
      
      
       
   More information: The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on   
   dementia.   
      
   Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.   
      
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   http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2016-04-severe-depression-linked   
   dementia-seniors.html   
      
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