Depression predicts intellectual decline

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Depression in the elderly increases the risk of losing of the ability to make decisions, organize, plan and do a sequence of things, a U.S. study found.

Senior author Dr. Jeffrey M. Lyness, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, said the study is the first to analyze simultaneously the roles of depression and intellectual dysfunction over time in a large group of older people

Participants, over age 65, were questioned about medical history, mood and cognitive symptoms, disorders, or treatments as well as active and past medical problems and current medications.

"Not every elderly person who is depressed becomes intellectually impaired, but depression raises the risk of executive dysfunction," Lyness said in a statement. "We began to see it at the one-year mark and it was clear after two years."

Physicians who treat older patients should be aware of the increased risk of loss of mental functions for depressed patient, the study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry reported.

"You can have a good memory and good language skills but if you lose executive function, you can’t do very well in daily life," Lyness said.