Gamification in Late-Life Depression: A Serious Game for a Serious Problem

Abstract

In the older population, one of the serious health concerns associated with negative outcomes such as comorbidity, loss of physical autonomy, excessive use of health care resources, and increased mortality is the onset of mood disorder [1]. Late-life depression (LLD) is an umbrella term to define depressed mood in people older than 65 years. It can have a variety of presentations: as recurrent disease stemming from earlier life (early onset depression [EOD]); as new-onset depression (late-onset depression [LOD]); as a mood disorder secondary to a general medical condition; or as mood symptoms secondary to substance or medication use [2]. Mistakenly, LLD is believed as a normal part of aging. For older people, depression could be the epiphenomenon of underlying biological processes (vascular changes, metabolic disturbances and neurodegenerative diseases); conversely, it could be the leading cause of cognitive impairment [3].