Page 189 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 189
fer from depression at least once in their life (Konec Juričič, 2014). No one the influence of the covid-19 epidemic on the incidence of depression in the elderly in a reference dispensary 187
is immune to this disease and can be affected at any stage of life. One of the
reasons for the development of depression is also stress (Khan & Khan, 2017).
Appropriate treatment should be started as soon as possible, as this is how we
can overcome depression (Berkow , 2005). Many times a patient with depres-
sion in the clinic complains of physical symptoms. Thus, we can conclude that
these are the main reason why depressed individuals come to the family doc-
tor at all (Strbad, 2012). The PHQ-9 scale is used in RDFM to aid in detec-
tion. The questionnaire was designed specifically for primary care and is also
a diagnostic tool that can be used to monitor the adequacy of treatment. The
main task of the nurse in RDFM is to determine disease exacerbation (Rifel,
2017). Treatment of a chronic patient with depression by the nurse in RDFM
includes: treatment procedure - application of the PHQ-9 questionnaire; situ-
ation assessment and evaluation - evaluation of the questionnaire; conclusion
(motivational conversation, information, health education, assessment of the
patient‘s understanding of information, referral to a doctor, documentation,
entry of results and health services) (Panikvar Žlahtič , et al ., 2016). When the
nurse in RDFM deems it necessary to include the patient in psychoeducation-
al workshops entitled Support in Coping with Depression, conducted by the
Center for Health Promotion (CKZ), it does so. Workshops are held once a
week and include counseling. During the epidemic, workshops take the form
of telephone counseling. It is intended to identify the factors of depression, par-
ticipants learn about the signs and symptoms, learn about the types of thera-
py, it is intended to increase flexibility of thinking and aimed at preventing ex-
acerbations and great emphasis on non-activation with the support of relatives
(Roškar & Tančič Grum, 2016). We reviewed statistical data in one of the Refer-
ence dispensary of Family Medicine dr. Adolfa Drolca Maribor from Novem-
ber 2019 to January 2020, and compared them with data from November 2020
to January 2021. Data were obtained using the PHQ-9 questionnaire. Respond-
ents were over 60 years of age, there were 60 respondents in both groups, and
the results showed that in the period from November 2019 to January 2020, 3.3
% had risk factors for developing depression. The results from the period from
November 2020 to January 2021 show that 18.3 % of respondents had risk fac-
tors for the development of depression. From this, we concluded that the risk
increased by 15 % during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Discussion
Examining the results of foreign research in the field of the presence of a risk
of developing depression during an epidemic, we see that the risk of developing
depression increases significantly during an epidemic, especially with the in-
troduction of “lockdown”. Research (Ettman, 2020) showed that the prevalence
of depressive symptoms in the U.S. increased more than three times during the
COVID-19 epidemic, from 8.5 % before COVID-19 to 27.8 % during COVID-19.
We humans are social beings who need contact, closeness, and when measures
is immune to this disease and can be affected at any stage of life. One of the
reasons for the development of depression is also stress (Khan & Khan, 2017).
Appropriate treatment should be started as soon as possible, as this is how we
can overcome depression (Berkow , 2005). Many times a patient with depres-
sion in the clinic complains of physical symptoms. Thus, we can conclude that
these are the main reason why depressed individuals come to the family doc-
tor at all (Strbad, 2012). The PHQ-9 scale is used in RDFM to aid in detec-
tion. The questionnaire was designed specifically for primary care and is also
a diagnostic tool that can be used to monitor the adequacy of treatment. The
main task of the nurse in RDFM is to determine disease exacerbation (Rifel,
2017). Treatment of a chronic patient with depression by the nurse in RDFM
includes: treatment procedure - application of the PHQ-9 questionnaire; situ-
ation assessment and evaluation - evaluation of the questionnaire; conclusion
(motivational conversation, information, health education, assessment of the
patient‘s understanding of information, referral to a doctor, documentation,
entry of results and health services) (Panikvar Žlahtič , et al ., 2016). When the
nurse in RDFM deems it necessary to include the patient in psychoeducation-
al workshops entitled Support in Coping with Depression, conducted by the
Center for Health Promotion (CKZ), it does so. Workshops are held once a
week and include counseling. During the epidemic, workshops take the form
of telephone counseling. It is intended to identify the factors of depression, par-
ticipants learn about the signs and symptoms, learn about the types of thera-
py, it is intended to increase flexibility of thinking and aimed at preventing ex-
acerbations and great emphasis on non-activation with the support of relatives
(Roškar & Tančič Grum, 2016). We reviewed statistical data in one of the Refer-
ence dispensary of Family Medicine dr. Adolfa Drolca Maribor from Novem-
ber 2019 to January 2020, and compared them with data from November 2020
to January 2021. Data were obtained using the PHQ-9 questionnaire. Respond-
ents were over 60 years of age, there were 60 respondents in both groups, and
the results showed that in the period from November 2019 to January 2020, 3.3
% had risk factors for developing depression. The results from the period from
November 2020 to January 2021 show that 18.3 % of respondents had risk fac-
tors for the development of depression. From this, we concluded that the risk
increased by 15 % during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Discussion
Examining the results of foreign research in the field of the presence of a risk
of developing depression during an epidemic, we see that the risk of developing
depression increases significantly during an epidemic, especially with the in-
troduction of “lockdown”. Research (Ettman, 2020) showed that the prevalence
of depressive symptoms in the U.S. increased more than three times during the
COVID-19 epidemic, from 8.5 % before COVID-19 to 27.8 % during COVID-19.
We humans are social beings who need contact, closeness, and when measures
