Evaluation of mood disorder patients in a primary care practice: measures of affective temperament, mental health risk factors, and functional health in a retrospective, descriptive study of 35 patients.

Objective: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE, DESCRIPTIVE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH A MOOD DISORDER ON THE BASIS OF THE FOLLOWING: (1) comorbid medical illnesses, (2) risk factors for mood disorders and longitudinal presence of symptoms, (3) presence of affective temperament, and (4) functional status and quality of life.

Method: Patients (N = 35) were a convenience sample diagnosed in the Mood Disorder Clinic (MDC), a family practice site-based mental health treatment consultation service. All study patients were assessed using a semistructured interview and diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria.

Depression in the older adult: recognition and nursing intervention.

The importance of identifying and intervening in elders with depression cannot be underestimated. The baby boom population is reaching the chronological milestone of being considered older age, which means that the percentage of older adults with depression will result in increased numbers of depressed older adults in all settings needing nursing care. Nurses must be able to recognize symptoms of depression, whether subsyndromal depression or major depression, to be able to intervene effectively.