While the point prevalence of major depression
among community residents 65 years or older is
2 %–4 %, the estimates of the prevalence of less severe
depression range from 5 % to 44 % [2], although more
conservative estimates of depressive symptomatology
range from 11 % to 16 % (see Roberts et al., 1997) [1].According
to several reviews [3–5], estimates of prevalence
rates of all depressive disorders reported in studies of
nursing homes have ranged from 9 % to 75 %. However,
reviews [3, 6major depressive disorder in nursing homes, ranging
from 5 % to 31 %. For example, reporting on the nursing
home portion of the Baltimore Epidemiological Catchment
Area Study, German et al. [7] found 6.5 % of the
residents to have major affective disorders. The 11 year
incidence of all depressive disorders among new admissions
to nursing homes has been reported to range from
12 % to 25 % [8–11], and from 30 % to 50 % for depressive
symptoms [12].