The impact of mild behavioral impairment on the prognosis of geriatric depression: preliminary results

Our study aimed to examine how the presence of Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI) symptoms influenced the outcome of late-life depression (LLD). Twenty-nine elderly (≥ 60 years) depressive patients, including eleven (37.9%) with MBI, were recruited and followed-up on average for 33.41 ± 8.24 weeks. Psychiatric symptoms severity and global functioning were assessed, respectively, using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. BPRS total score significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up ( P < 0.001, d = 1.33). The presence of MBI had no significant effect on mood and cognitive symptoms improvement. On the contrary, while a significant increase in GAF score was observed in patients without MBI ( P = 0.001, d = 1.01), no significant improvement of global functioning was detected in those with MBI ( P = 0.154, d = 0.34) after 6-month follow-up. The presence of MBI in patients with LLD may negatively affect long-term outcome, slowing or preventing functional improvement.