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Indicator: Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression (2006)


  
  • Depression is more than just a passing mood. Rather, it is a condition in which one may experience persistent sadness, withdrawal from previously-enjoyed activities, difficulty sleeping, physical discomforts, and feeling “slowed down.” 1
  • Risk factors for late-onset depression included widowhood, physical illness, low educational attainment (less than high school), impaired functional status, and heavy alcohol consumption. 2
  • Depression is one of the most successfully treated illnesses. There are highly effective treatments for depression in late life, and most depressed older adults can improve dramatically from treatment. 1
  • This Indicator was part of the Anxiety and Depression Module in the 2006 BRFSS, which was asked in 38 states, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. It was assessed through the question: “Has a doctor or other healthcare provider EVER told you that you have a depressive disorder (including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression)?”
References:
1. Geriatric Mental Health Foundation. Depression in late life: not a natural part of aging. 2008. Available at http://www.gmhfonline.org/gmhf/consumer/factsheets/depression_latelife.html Link: Exit Notification/Disclaimer Policy (accessed June 23, 2008).
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Older adults and mental health. In: Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. 1999. Available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter5/sec1.html Link: Exit Notification/Disclaimer Policy (accessed June 10, 2008).

State Data (2006)

Percentage of adults aged 50 years or older with a lifetime diagnosis of depression.
  Age Group
50+ 50–64 65+
Location Data % CI† Data % CI† Data % CI†
United States 15.7 (15.3–16.1) 19.3 (18.7–19.9) 10.5 (10.1–11.0)
Alabama 17.3 (15.5–19.3) 21.1 (18.4–24.1) 12.1 (9.9–14.8)
Alaska 15.8 (12.9–19.3) 18.5 (14.8–22.9) 8.5 (4.9–14.4)
Arizona ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Arkansas 20.4 (18.9–22.0) 25.8 (23.6–28.2) 13.4 (11.6–15.3)
California 14.2 (12.7–15.9) 17.0 (14.8–19.4) 9.8 (7.8–12.3)
Colorado ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Connecticut 14.2 (12.5–16.1) 17.7 (15.3–20.5) 9.4 (7.5–11.7)
Delaware 16.1 (14.1–18.3) 20.3 (17.3–23.5) 10.5 (8.3–13.3)
District of Columbia 15.0 (13.2–17.0) 18.7 (16.2–21.6) 9.9 (7.7–12.6)
Florida 12.2 (11.2–13.3) 15.9 (14.3–17.7) 8.3 (7.2–9.6)
Georgia 16.0 (14.6–17.4) 18.7 (16.8–20.7) 11.5 (9.8–13.5)
Hawaii 9.4 (8.3–10.7) 12.6 (10.8–14.6) 5.1 (3.9–6.6)
Idaho ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Illinois ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Indiana 19.1 (17.7–20.7) 23.8 (21.6–26.1) 12.7 (11.0–14.6)
Iowa 13.4 (12.1–14.8) 16.7 (14.8–18.9) 9.1 (7.6–10.9)
Kansas 13.2 (11.8–14.8) 16.9 (14.8–19.3) 8.4 (6.9–10.3)
Kentucky ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Louisiana 13.6 (12.4–14.9) 15.9 (14.2–17.7) 10.3 (8.7–12.1)
Maine 17.4 (15.8–19.2) 21.2 (18.9–23.8) 12.1 (9.9–14.7)
Maryland 13.6 (12.0–15.4) 16.7 (14.3–19.4) 9.0 (7.3–11.1)
Massachusetts ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Michigan 15.7 (14.4–17.2) 19.7 (17.8–21.9) 10.0 (8.5–11.7)
Minnesota 13.9 (12.5–15.5) 17.0 (14.9–19.3) 9.4 (7.8–11.4)
Mississippi 17.9 (16.5–19.4) 22.0 (19.9–24.2) 12.3 (10.7–14.1)
Missouri 17.4 (15.4–19.5) 20.7 (17.8–23.9) 12.9 (10.7–15.6)
Montana 16.9 (15.5–18.5) 20.9 (18.9–23.1) 11.0 (9.3–13.0)
Nebraska 15.5 (13.6–17.6) 20.5 (17.5–23.7) 9.0 (7.1–11.2)
Nevada 17.0 (14.7–19.5) 21.5 (18.1–25.2) 10.1 (7.8–13.1)
New Hampshire 15.3 (14.0–16.8) 19.1 (17.2–21.3) 9.5 (7.9–11.4)
New Jersey ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
New Mexico 19.4 (17.8–21.1) 23.7 (21.4–26.1) 12.9 (11.0–15.1)
New York ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
North Carolina ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
North Dakota 15.7 (14.1–17.3) 19.2 (16.8–21.7) 11.4 (9.5–13.5)
Ohio ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oklahoma 20.0 (18.6–21.5) 25.3 (23.2–27.6) 12.9 (11.4–14.6)
Oregon 20.7 (19.1–22.4) 25.5 (23.2–27.9) 13.7 (11.7–15.9)
Pennsylvania ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rhode Island 15.8 (14.2–17.5) 20.8 (18.3–23.5) 9.6 (8.0–11.4)
South Carolina 17.1 (15.9–18.4) 21.1 (19.3–22.9) 11.6 (10.1–13.2)
South Dakota ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tennessee 15.8 (14.1–17.7) 19.5 (16.9–22.3) 10.3 (8.4–12.6)
Texas 15.9 (14.1–17.8) 19.1 (16.4–22.0) 10.8 (9.0–12.9)
Utah 19.7 (17.8–21.7) 25.1 (22.3–28.1) 11.8 (9.8–14.3)
Vermont 18.2 (17.0–19.5) 21.6 (19.8–23.4) 13.0 (11.4–14.7)
Virginia 13.5 (11.6–15.5) 16.8 (14.1–19.9) 7.9 (6.4–9.8)
Washington 19.3 (18.1–20.5) 23.8 (22.1–25.6) 12.2 (10.8–13.7)
West Virginia 19.8 (18.1–21.7) 25.9 (23.3–28.7) 11.9 (10.0–14.2)
Wisconsin 15.6 (14.0–17.4) 19.4 (17.0–22.0) 10.5 (8.5–12.9)
Wyoming 18.1 (16.6–19.7) 20.9 (18.9–23.1) 13.5 (11.6–15.8)
Puerto Rico 23.2 (21.4–25.1) 27.1 (24.5–29.9) 17.7 (15.5–20.1)
Virgin Islands 6.8 (5.5–8.4) 7.9 (6.2–10.0) 4.5 (2.8–7.2)
Footnotes:
† A confidence interval (CI) describes the level of uncertainty of an estimate and specifies the range in which the true value is likely to fall. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America online report uses a 95% level of significance, which means that 95% of the time, the true value falls within these boundaries. When comparing prevalence of variables across states or years, we recommend the use of confidence intervals. If the confidence intervals overlap, the difference is not statistically significant.
~ This state did not participate in the 2006 BRFSS Anxiety and Depression module, and does not have data for this indicator.
Content source: CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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