Drug utilization by the elderly with depressive symptoms

OBJECTIVE: Obtain a picture of non-psychiatric medication use and depressogenic medication use by elderly people suffering from depression. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, self-reported by respondents. METHOD: Information about medication usage and the presence of chronic diseases was obtained from 183 depressive respondents and 96 control respondents. The respondents were aged 55 years or over. They were recruited between April 1996 and May 1998 in the provinces Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland, the Netherlands. Recruitment was via Regional Institutes for Outpatient Mental Health Care (RIAGGs), a psychiatric outpatient clinic, general practitioners participating in the 'Groningen longitudinal ageing study' (GLAS), a survey under the elderly within the general population, and screening with the 'Geriatric depression scale' (score > or = 6) in the GLAS main file. RESULTS: Respondents with subsyndromal depression recruited via screening were prescribed more depressogenic medication (mean: 3.26 drugs per patient, of which 45.6% depressogenic) than the control group (respective figures: 1.78; 26.1%) and the depressive groups recruited via general practitioners (2.77; 31.8%) or those recruited via RIAGGs/psychiatric outpatient clinic (2.60; 38.3%).