Background: Older adults are particularly vulnerable for poor mental health and neurological conditions like depression due to the additional stressors such as capacity loss and declined functional ability. Depression is not a normal part of aging, but it affects 15% of people over 65 years at some point during their later lives. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of depression among geriatric which at age of 60 and above from the Northern region of Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among geriatric population which at age of 60 and above from Northern Malaysia region to screen depression. The Geriatric Depression Scale 15 was used. The data collected was analysed for Pearson’s Chi-square test and odd’s ratio by SPSS Statistics and Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to determine the association between sociodemographic data and geriatric depression. Results: There was majority of the geriatrics in the Northern region of Malaysia faced depression. Geriatric depression was found to have significantly associated with the level of education and sleep duration. Conclusion: Estimated prevalence of depression among the geriatric population was alarmingly high which needs prompt and earlier detection for implementing appropriate treatment strategies.

Background: Older adults are particularly vulnerable for poor mental health and neurological conditions like depression due to the additional stressors such as capacity loss and declined functional ability. Depression is not a normal part of aging, but it affects 15% of people over 65 years at some point during their later lives. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of depression among geriatric which at age of 60 and above from the Northern region of Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among geriatric population which at age of 60 and above from Northern Malaysia region to screen depression. The Geriatric Depression Scale 15 was used. The data collected was analysed for Pearson’s Chi-square test and odd’s ratio by SPSS Statistics and Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to determine the association between sociodemographic data and geriatric depression. Results: There was majority of the geriatrics in the Northern region of Malaysia faced depression. Geriatric depression was found to have significantly associated with the level of education and sleep duration. Conclusion: Estimated prevalence of depression among the geriatric population was alarmingly high which needs prompt and earlier detection for implementing appropriate treatment strategies.