Is Late-life Depression linked to Dementia?

Depression, cognitive impairment and dementia are all distressing conditions that can occur at any time in life, but new research seems to show a link between the timing of the onset of symptoms and a possible correlation between the different types of condition. The link between depression, cognitive impairment and dementia has been explored more fully by Edo Richard, a PhD holder from the University of Amsterdam, who, together with his colleagues, has been investigating possible connections.

A report, published by the Archives of Neurology looked into a group of both men and women aged 65 years and older. This was an in-depth study conducted over a period of time and the results were noteworthy. When looking at the bigger picture, the results seemed to show that late-life depression seems to have an association with future wellness. The study showed that symptoms of depression are present in between three and 63 percent of patients who have some form of mild cognitive impairment.

At this stage, it is not clear how having depression affects wellbeing in later life, or what the mechanics of the whole thing are, but the links certainly seem to be there.

The often emotional issue of dementia was evaluated by Richard and his team, by looking at a group of 2, 160 older people, who were recipients of Medicare and lived in the community.

The results showed that all three of the conditions appear to be inter-linked. This seems to suggest that depression develops at the same time as normal cognitive function progresses into dementia.