International journal of geriatric psychiatry
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jul 1998
Progressive disability in senile dementia is accelerated in the presence of depression.
To assess the extent to which loss of ability to perform everyday activities in early stage senile dementia is worsened by the presence of depressive illness. ⋯ Depression does not in itself engender significant disability, but interacts with senile dementia to accelerate loss of functioning. Effective treatment of depressive illness in senile dementia may have significant impact on the prevalence and severity of disability.