Study revealed significant prevalence of depression in the elderly of the countryside

In Brazil, a study conducted with elderly enrolled in the Family Health Unit showed that 52% had depressive symptoms, of which 48% had mild to moderate depression and 4% severe depression. From the perspective of the presence of depressive symptoms, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of elderly indicative of depression, living in the countryside. In methodology, in order to describe the prevalence of depression in the elderly in the countryside in the city of Nova Aliança, will be held a descriptive study in the months of January to July 2015, applied to the Beck Scale for the data is processed. In results, the results showed a higher prevalence of depression in women evaluated in the present study compared to men, as the women's group was the presence of four levels of depression, and in males only confirmed levels 1 and 2 there was no statistical significance in the first level of depression (minimum) between women and men studied, with p = 0.997. However, there was statistical significance at the second level of depression (light) between women and men in this study, with p = 0.01. In Conclusion, all study subjects had depression, even to a minimum in the countryside. It was also shown in this study that there is a higher prevalence of depression in women and that they had depression with greater age compared to men of the same study.