Mental health disorders, such as depression, are among the leading issues affecting people’s well-being worldwide. In Chile, concern about this issue has increased, particularly regarding the older adult population, which has shown a steady rise in depressive symptoms in recent years.

In response to this context, a recent study by Sarahí Rueda, Claudia Miranda-Castillo, and Alejandra-Ximena Araya analyzed how many years people aged 60 and older can expect to live without depressive symptoms, taking into account their gender, health conditions, and region of residence. The study used data from over 2,000 individuals between 2015 and 2020 and applied a statistical model to estimate differences across the country.

Key findings:

• Older women live twice as many years with depressive symptoms compared to men, regardless of their region.

• Older men living in northern and southern Chile have more years free of depression than those living in the Metropolitan Region.

• The presence of chronic conditions reduces, on average, four years of depression-free life in men and 5.7 years in women.

These differences highlight a complex and pressing reality: mental health in later life is strongly shaped by structural inequalities—territorial, gender-based, and socioeconomic.

In this context, public policies must incorporate gender- and territory-sensitive approaches, promoting strategies that not only improve access to care but also help increase the number of years older adults can live free from depression—especially women and those living in more vulnerable conditions.

You can read more about the study at:
https://link.springer.com/arti...


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