Page 185 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 185
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-129-2.183-190
The influence of the covid-19 epidemic
on the incidence of depression
in the elderly in a reference
dispensary
Tjaša Šarić1, Karin Kramberger2
1 Community Health Centre dr. Adolfa Drolca Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
2University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
tjasa.saric@gmail.com; karin.kramberger07@gmail.com
Abstract
Introduction: Depression is an increasingly common mental disorder
that is already facing more than 264 million people worldwide. The
effects of depression can be long-lasting and recurrent, which greatly
affects the quality of life. The main strategy to combat COVID-19 in most
countries around the world is social distance, which is the main cause of
increasing human loneliness, resulting in depression, especially in the
elderly. Certainly, social distance is an important and effective measure
to contain the epidemic, but we must be aware that it has psychological
consequences for people. Methods: In writing the article, we used a
descriptive methodological review of the literature on the impact of the
COVID-19 epidemic on the development of depression in the elderly.
Literature is searched using the COBISS bibliographic system, and
literature is reviewed in foreign databases such as Medline, CINAHL,
PubMed, Wiley, Sicris and EBSCOhost. We searched the literature
for the period from 2016 to 2021. Keywords we used were: covid-19,
depression, elderly, stress, loneliness. Discussion and conclusion: We
found that the elderly are more exposed to risk factors such as loneliness,
stress, and social distance during the COVID-19 epidemic. These factors
are the main triggers for the development of depression. Media has a
great influence on mental health of the elderly, which, in addition to
doing useful work, informing the public, can also have a negative impact
on the public by constantly reporting the spread of the disease and
the number of deaths, which can lead isolated people to despair. It has
been known for years that physical pain and illness often occur due to
psychological problems. Depression, however, is most often caused by
severe personal distress as a result of long economic, post-war crises, and
so on. However, it also occurs when people are self-isolated, lonely and
forgotten by everyone for a long time. We will be able to determine for
months the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, not only economic,
The influence of the covid-19 epidemic
on the incidence of depression
in the elderly in a reference
dispensary
Tjaša Šarić1, Karin Kramberger2
1 Community Health Centre dr. Adolfa Drolca Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
2University of Maribor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maribor, Slovenia
tjasa.saric@gmail.com; karin.kramberger07@gmail.com
Abstract
Introduction: Depression is an increasingly common mental disorder
that is already facing more than 264 million people worldwide. The
effects of depression can be long-lasting and recurrent, which greatly
affects the quality of life. The main strategy to combat COVID-19 in most
countries around the world is social distance, which is the main cause of
increasing human loneliness, resulting in depression, especially in the
elderly. Certainly, social distance is an important and effective measure
to contain the epidemic, but we must be aware that it has psychological
consequences for people. Methods: In writing the article, we used a
descriptive methodological review of the literature on the impact of the
COVID-19 epidemic on the development of depression in the elderly.
Literature is searched using the COBISS bibliographic system, and
literature is reviewed in foreign databases such as Medline, CINAHL,
PubMed, Wiley, Sicris and EBSCOhost. We searched the literature
for the period from 2016 to 2021. Keywords we used were: covid-19,
depression, elderly, stress, loneliness. Discussion and conclusion: We
found that the elderly are more exposed to risk factors such as loneliness,
stress, and social distance during the COVID-19 epidemic. These factors
are the main triggers for the development of depression. Media has a
great influence on mental health of the elderly, which, in addition to
doing useful work, informing the public, can also have a negative impact
on the public by constantly reporting the spread of the disease and
the number of deaths, which can lead isolated people to despair. It has
been known for years that physical pain and illness often occur due to
psychological problems. Depression, however, is most often caused by
severe personal distress as a result of long economic, post-war crises, and
so on. However, it also occurs when people are self-isolated, lonely and
forgotten by everyone for a long time. We will be able to determine for
months the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, not only economic,
