A Survey on Depression among Older Adults with Chronic Disease, Attending Community Hospital in Mea-rim District of Chiang Mai

Abstract

This survey research aimed to study clinical depression among older adults with chronic disease. Sample was 79 older adults aged 60 years and over, diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes mellitus for more than 6 months, and attended at Donkeaw community hospital, Mea-rim district, Chiang Mai province during the period of November 2015 - March 2016. Research instrument was a questionnaire including personal information, depression screening form (2Q and 9Q), and suicidal screening form (8Q) developed by the Thai Department of Mental Health. Reliability of the instrument was tested yielding a value of 0.92. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The results revealed that 29.11% of the older adults with chronic diseases were more likely to suffer from depression. Only 13.1% had a mild level of depression, and 33.33% were likely to commit suicide at a mild level.

The findings from this study can be used as basic information for continuous care of older adults with chronic diseases who have depression, in particular those with a tendency to commit suicide. Stackholders should explore causes of depression, a way to reduce the severity of the problem and prevent depression among older adults with chronic disease.