ABSTRACT
Depression is a serious and common mood disorder. The lifetime prevalence of major depression is 17%, spread over the age group from 15 to 54 years; it is twice as common in women as in men.
Among elderly people living in the community, the prevalence of major depression is 3%, but it is 15 to 25% for those living in nursing homes, who have a 13% annual incidence of new episodes.
