Is impending or actual death of a spouse with dementia bad for mental health? Antidepressant use surrounding widowhood.

Background: Previous studies have shown that the risk of death is elevated after the death of a spouse. Limited evidence is available on changes in mental health before and after bereavement among individuals whose spouse dies of dementia.

Methods: We analyzed changes in the 3-month prevalence of antidepressant use for 5 years before and 3 years after widowhood for individuals whose spouses died of either dementia or other causes.

Divorce and subsequent increase in uptake of antidepressant medication: a Finnish registry-based study on couple versus individual effects.

Background: There is an average negative mental health effect for individuals who experience divorce. Little is known whether the pattern of such divorce effects varies within couples. We study whether the husband and wife experience similar harmful effects of divorce, whether they experience opposite effects, or whether divorce effects are purely individual.