E-ISSN : 2733-4538
This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of depression in dementia patients. First, the severity of depression in dementia patients was compared with that in normal elderly. Second, the characteristics of depression were compared between Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type(DAT) and Vascular Dementia(VaD). The subjects were 67 dementia patients (36 DAT and 31 VaD) and 60 normal elderly whose age, sex, and education level were matched with the dementia patients. The Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS) was used as a depression measure. The results showed that dementia patients were more depressive than normal elderly(t(125) = 7.32, p<.01). They were more depressed in all four factors (i.e., "general depressive mood", "concern and anxiety", "unhappiness" and "decline in cognitive functions and social activities") that were extracted from the factor analysis of the GDS. Among dementia patients, VaD were more depressive than DAT(t(65) = -2.07, p<.05). VaD showed more depressive tendency in "general depressive mood" and "concern and anxiety" factors of GDS than DAT.