A Holistic View of Depression in Colombian Older Peopl

Abstract

The world population is changing at the sociodemographic level, there has been a progressive increase in the elderly population globally and particularly in Colombia. It is important to study those diseases that afflict this population, not only the chronic diseases that have been one of the main causes of death in this age group, also mental illness and their progressive increase in terms of prevalence and incidence. Affective disorders are the most prevalent mental pathology in the elderly, so their risk factors, diagnostic methods, and treatment alternatives, should be studied. For several years, studies on childhood experiences including violence and adversity and the possible association with depression in the elderly, have been published. The objective of this article is to describe the importance of the Colombian social context as a possible risk factor for developing depression in older people and their consequences.