Background: Depression is the silent killer of modern era. In India there is sharp increase in elderly population. Substantial number of elderly likely to have physical and mental co-morbidity. Deficit in perceived support can be an important determining factor not only therapeutically but also prognostically.

Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of depression in Elderly Hospitalized Patientsand to study its Impact On Perceived Social Supportin these patients.

Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study conducted in various Departments of Assam Medical College and Hospital with sample size of 109.Newly admitted patients with age more than 60 year were selected through simple random sampling technique and screened for depression through Prime-MD screening tool, then positive cases were confirmed and classified with ICD-10 and Ham-D respectively. Perceived support was assessed by Multidimensional Scale by Zimet, SPSS version 21.0 was used for statistical analysis of obtained data through tests like chi-square, unpaired t-test and ANOVA.

Results: The prevalence of depression was found to be 31.19%. It was more in in patients who were female, widow/widower, literate and with longer duration of physical illness. Perceived support was significantly poor in all three domains (Family, Friends and Significant Other) in depressed patients and an association was found between severities of depression and decreased perceived support.

Conclusion: Depression is very common in elderly hospitalized patientsand it is associated with poor perceived support whichfollowed decreasing trend as severity of depression increases from  mild to very severe. As conceptuallyperceived  support can be both cause and effect of depression, so need of hour is to break this vicious cycle as early as possible and to help the elderly in living as good life as possible despite their illnesses and decreasing capacities.

Keywords: Depression, Perceived Social Support, Elderly, Hospitalized, Geriatric.

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Dr Himanshu Gupta

Post Graduate Trainee, Department of Psychiatry, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, 786001, India

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