Impact of COVID-19 on depressive symptoms in older adults: Future perspectives and implications

During the pre-pandemic era, around 280 million people worldwide were diagnosed with depression. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, affecting 5.7 per cent of people aged 60 and over during the pre-pandemic period. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in the incidence of depression, with an estimated increase of 28.1 per cent worldwide, with a significant impact on older adults. The consequences of the increase in depressive symptoms can have a long-term impact and, in this sense, this problem is a global challenge for mental health professionals. Knowing the impact of COVID-19 on depressive symptoms in older adults will allow mental health professionals to be better prepared for a future pandemic crisis and to develop interventions aimed at reducing depressive symptoms in this population. The development of interventions that promote mental health is crucial now and, in the future, so knowing the impact of the pandemic crisis on depressive symptoms is useful in pursuing this goal. The aim of this article is to describe some recent results on the impact of COVID-19 on depressive symptoms in older adults, and to discuss possible future perspectives.