Geriatric Depression in India

There have been many conversations about India’s youth, but ageing is mostly forgotten in these conversations. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, by 2050, almost 20% of India’s population would be 60 years or above, doubling the current figure. This demographic transition is expected to bring novel challenges for us.

While mental health is still not a priority of the government, undiagnosed geriatric depression is likely to affect the Indian population adversely. As per the recently released LASI (Longitudinal Ageing Study of India) Wave-1 report, the prevalence of probable depression among the elderly aged 60 and above is 10 times higher than the self-reported prevalence of diagnosed depression, suggesting a higher burden of undiagnosed depression.