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Indicator: Current 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. Current Depression was defined by a PHQ-8 score of 10 or greater (see Technical Information).
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 who had current depression.

  Age Group
50+ 50–64 65+
Location Data % CI Data % CI Data % CI
United States 7.7 (7.3–8.0) 9.4 (8.9–9.9) 5.0 (4.6–5.4)
Alabama 10.9 (9.3–12.7) 13.7 (11.4–16.5) 6.6 (4.9–8.9)
Alaska 5.5 (3.9–7.7) 5.7 (3.8–8.5) 4.9 (2.6–9.1)
Arizona ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Arkansas 9.4 (8.3–10.6) 11.6 (9.9–13.4) 6.3 (5.0–7.9)
California 8.8 (7.4–10.5) 10.9 (8.9–13.4) 5.4 (3.8–7.4)
Colorado ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Connecticut 4.9 (3.9–6.2) 6.3 (4.9–8.1) 2.9 (1.8–4.8)
Delaware 6.7 (5.4–8.2) 8.3 (6.5–10.6) 4.3 (3.0–6.3)
District of Columbia 5.4 (4.3–6.9) 6.3 (4.7–8.3) 4.2 (2.7–6.4)
Florida 6.2 (5.4–7.0) 8.1 (6.9–9.4) 4.1 (3.2–5.2)
Georgia 8.5 (7.4–9.6) 9.9 (8.5–11.6) 5.9 (4.5–7.6)
Hawaii 6.0 (5.0–7.2) 7.6 (6.1–9.5) 3.6 (2.5–5.1)
Idaho ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Illinois ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Indiana 8.9 (7.8–10.2) 10.7 (9.1–12.6) 6.2 (4.9–7.9)
Iowa 4.3 (3.5–5.3) 5.1 (4.0–6.5) 3.1 (2.2–4.4)
Kansas 5.5 (4.5–6.6) 6.5 (5.2–8.2) 4.0 (2.9–5.5)
Kentucky ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Louisiana 7.5 (6.5–8.7) 9.0 (7.6–10.7) 4.9 (3.8–6.4)
Maine 4.7 (3.8–5.8) 5.4 (4.3–6.9) 3.7 (2.4–5.6)
Maryland 5.6 (4.5–7.0) 7.0 (5.4–9.0) 3.4 (2.3–5.0)
Massachusetts ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Michigan 8.6 (7.5–9.8) 10.3 (8.8–12.1) 5.7 (4.4–7.5)
Minnesota 5.4 (4.5–6.5) 6.2 (4.9–7.8) 4.4 (3.3–5.8)
Mississippi 11.0 (9.8–12.5) 13.6 (11.8–15.7) 7.1 (5.5–9.0)
Missouri 8.4 (7.1–9.9) 10.6 (8.7–12.8) 5.4 (4.0–7.3)
Montana 5.7 (4.8–6.7) 6.8 (5.6–8.3) 3.9 (2.8–5.4)
Nebraska 5.3 (4.2–6.6) 6.3 (4.7–8.3) 3.8 (2.6–5.6)
Nevada 8.6 (6.8–10.7) 9.9 (7.6–12.8) 6.4 (4.2–9.8)
New Hampshire 5.7 (4.8–6.7) 7.2 (5.9–8.7) 3.1 (2.2–4.4)
New Jersey ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
New Mexico 9.0 (7.8–10.4) 10.8 (9.1–12.8) 6.2 (4.7–8.2)
New York ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
North Carolina ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
North Dakota 4.8 (3.8–6.1) 6.0 (4.5–8.0) 3.1 (2.1–4.5)
Ohio ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oklahoma 9.8 (8.6–11.0) 12.2 (10.5–14.0) 6.2 (4.9–7.8)
Oregon 5.6 (4.7–6.7) 6.9 (5.6–8.5) 3.5 (2.5–4.8)
Pennsylvania ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rhode Island 7.1 (5.9–8.4) 9.0 (7.3–11.1) 4.5 (3.2–6.2)
South Carolina 8.3 (7.4–9.4) 9.9 (8.6–11.4) 5.9 (4.7–7.4)
South Dakota ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tennessee 9.4 (7.9–11.1) 11.4 (9.3–13.9) 6.2 (4.6–8.3)
Texas 8.5 (6.8–10.5) 10.7 (8.3–13.7) 4.6 (3.2–6.6)
Utah 8.5 (7.1–10.1) 8.7 (7.0–10.8) 8.0 (5.9–10.8)
Vermont 5.1 (4.3–6.0) 6.0 (5.0–7.2) 3.4 (2.5–4.7)
Virginia 4.8 (4.0–5.8) 5.2 (4.1–6.4) 4.1 (2.9–5.8)
Washington 5.2 (4.5–5.9) 6.1 (5.2–7.2) 3.5 (2.7–4.6)
West Virginia 12.4 (10.9–14.1) 15.2 (13.1–17.6) 8.6 (6.7–10.9)
Wisconsin 5.1 (4.2–6.2) 6.1 (4.8–7.7) 3.8 (2.6–5.4)
Wyoming 6.8 (5.8–8.0) 8.7 (7.2–10.5) 3.6 (2.5–5.0)
Puerto Rico 12.4 (11.0–13.9) 14.4 (12.4–16.7) 9.5 (7.8–11.5)
Virgin Islands 5.0 (3.8–6.7) 5.4 (3.9–7.4) 4.2 (2.4–7.4)
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.
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