The Specificity of Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

This study assessed the specificity of depressive symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease & examined the discrepancies between patient & caregiver symptom reports. When compared to depressed patients without dementia, depressed patients with Alzheimer’s disease demonstrated a significantly higher score for suicide on the Hamilton depression scale. The implications of findings regarding depression levels in Alzheimer’s patients are discussed. (17 refs)