Abstract
Caring for people with dementia is stressful,1 and depression occurs in 30-50% of carers.2 Few data are available, however, about the course of depression or variables associated with the length of episodes, such as age, closeness of relationship, and non-cognitive symptoms among patients. We followed up a group of carers over a year to assess the length and determinants of depression. We recruited 124 patients with dementia as defined by DSMIIIR from consecutive referrals to psychiatric services in Birmingham (99) and a memory clinic in Bristol (25); 90% of those approached agreed to participate. One hundred and nine had informal carers, of whom 85 were followed up for one year. Carers were interviewed initially and every month with the geriatric mental state schedule and the …
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