Age-dependent symptomatology of depression in hospitalized patients and its implications for DSM-5

Background

We investigated effects of current age and age at onset on symptomatology of depression with reference to proposed revisions in DSM-5.

Methods

The study entailed medical records of 326 inpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder, including 520 depressive episodes, with 113 first episodes lifetime. Subjects were divided into three groups: young-adults, middle-aged adults and older adults.

Results

In young-adults, active suicidal ideation, lifetime suicidal attempts, irritability, anhedonia and persistent depressive symptoms between the episodes were more frequent than in the other groups. Among older adults, depression was associated with insomnia, hypochondriasis, somatization, decreased appetite, weight loss, memory impairment and decreased activity. The older age was not associated with higher number of previous episodes of depression, bigger severity or duration of a single episode or a different degree of remission. Early-onset depression was associated with more suicidal attempts.

Limitations

The study was retrospective and the sample may be treated only as representative for hospitalized depressed patients.

Conclusions

Age and age at onset are important factors influencing the course and symptomatology of a depressive episode. Depressive episodes with anxiety and with suicide risk severity are important specifiers that vary with the age at onset and/or age of the patient and should be considered for inclusion in the DSM-5 revision.