A Comparison of Depression Symptoms Between the Aged Chronic Alcoholic Patients and Patients with Depressive Disorder

Objective: To study the difference of depressive symptoms between the aged chronic alcoholic patients and patients with depressive disorder. Methods: 48 aged chronic alcoholic patients with depressive symptoms (AL) and 36 aged patients with depression disorder (DD) were tested with geriatric depression scale (GDS), Hamilton depression rating scale for depression (HAMD), symptom checklist 90 (SCL 90), and mini mental state examination (MMSE). Results: the rates of somatic symptoms, mental motor inhibition, and suicide behavior in AL group were lower than those in DD group (P0 01). In AL group, comparing with DD group, the rates of anxiety and agitation were higher (P0 01), while the total scores of HAMD were lower (P0 01). For the test results in SCL 90, some factors (somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility and psychotogen) showed significant difference between the 2 groups (P0.01). The AL group had significantly higher total scores in MMSE test than DD group (P0.01). Conclusion: The depression degree in AL group are milder than that in DD group. Some depressive symptoms have different expression between the 2 groups. The AL group show more severe cognitive deficits.