"Prevention and Treatment of Depression in the Elderly: A Population-Based Study"

Considering the rapid increase of the elderly population in Brazil and the growing impact of depression, the third cause of global burden of diseases in the world, the relevance of depression prevention and treatment in older people tend to raise in future years. The investigators planned to screen 2,700 individuals, 60 years and older, from Basic Health Units in the west region of Sao Paulo city, for subsyndromic depressive and / or anxiety symptoms. The elderly will be assessed with a standardized psychiatric interview to calculate the prevalence of subsyndromic symptoms of depression and / or anxiety and the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders. Those who do not meet criteria for depressive disorders and / or anxiety will be invited to participate in a randomized clinical trial with 2 arms: a stepped-care prevention program with physical activity (n = 35) or usual care (n = 35). The primary outcome measure will be the cumulative incidence of major depressive disorder, or anxiety disorders, after 12 months.