Affective disorders, social support, and health status in geriatric patients in a general hospital.

A randomized-sample taken from all elderly patients aged 70 years and over hospitalized for medical/surgical disorders was studied (N = 108) to determine the influence of health problems and social support on depression. According to DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria, 50.9% had psychiatric disorders and 15.7% had affective disorders. In the total sample, depressive symptoms significantly correlated with the existence of health problems and lack of social support, but independently considered, these variables did not have a significant influence on diagnoses of depressive disorders.