Arch Gen Psychiat
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Comparative Study
The prevalence of dementia and depression in the elderly community in a southern European population. The Zaragoza study.
Provocative international disparities reported in the prevalence rates of dementia and depression require further investigation. This is the first psychiatric study, to the best of our knowledge, about the prevalence of DSM-III-R dementing and depressive disorders and their relationships in a representative, stratified community sample of the elderly in both a Spanish-speaking country and southern Europe. ⋯ Among the elderly, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, as opposed to depression, increases steeply with age. The overlap found between dementia and depression may have nosological implications. There could be an effect of lower education levels on psychiatric morbidity, particularly on depression.