Barriers to Health Care in Older Adults with Depression based on their Lived Individual Experiences

The burden of depression is expected to increase in the next 20 years as the elderly population increases. Despite many efforts, depression has often gone undiagnosed and many older adults have underutilized treatment programs, even with the number of effective medications, interventions, and social support groups available. Limited research is available on how the lived experiences of older adults have influenced access to care for depression. The key research question in this study concerned the lived experiences of depression in persons aged 65 and over and the extent to which these experiences had any influence on obtaining treatment. The purpose of this phenomenological study to was to examine older adults' experiences for themes that influenced receiving treatment for depression. Semistructured, open-ended interviews were conducted with a small, purposive sample of 11 participants to determine how they experienced depression; interviews were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological approach to identify common themes. A theme emerged from this study that reflected a lack of screening by primary care physicians, even in those at higher risk for depression, as the most predominant barrier to receiving treatment. Responses also indicated that participants lacked knowledge of available treatments, which may have deterred them from seeking help for depression. Participants reported no negative beliefs limiting them from receiving care, but expressed helplessness in how to obtain care for depression and demonstrated little communication between family members diagnosed with depression. The findings of this study will benefit older adults with depression, their family members, and the health care community by providing evidence that regular screening for depression is needed by primary care providers.