The Most Effective Treatment or Intervention for Treating Chinese Elderly Depression: a Literature Review

Abstract

Background: There is an increase in the percentage of Chinese elderly population with depression globally which may be contributed by financial stain, poor living conditions, and poor social support with friends and relatives, absence of carer and precipitating poor health condition and different therapy had been used for them. Objectives: This literature review was conducted to evaluate different treatment and interventions that had been used on Chinese elderly population with depression. Methodology: A systematic searching process from January, 2013 to June, 2013. Key word used is elder, geriatric, senile, old age, aged 60 or above, depress, depression, depressive symptoms and Chinese. Results: 84 studies were retrieved and it shows that Tai Chi is most effective in treating depression symptoms, Qigong is most effective in treating the associated factors of depressive symptoms and lastly Qigong is also the most effective therapy in treating the general well-being of the outcomes of depression.