ArticlePloS one2008
Falls, depression and antidepressants in later life: a large primary care appraisal.
Article in PloS one, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 150 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cause or Effect? Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Falls in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2015Pooled it
- Prevalence and correlates of depression among Australian women: a systematic literature review, January 1999- January 2010.BMC research notes · 2013Pooled it
- Is it possible to identify risks for injurious falls in hospitalized patients?Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety · 2012Trial
- Risk factors for falls and fall-related injuries among community-dwelling older adults in Korea: A longitudinal study.Journal of Korean gerontological nursing · 2026Article
- Association between nighttime sleep duration and falls among community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and over: findings from a nationwide population-based study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Associations Between Multiple Falls and Mental Health Indices in Korean Older Adults: A Cross-sectional Study.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2025Article
- Article
- The association between falls and depressive symptoms among older adults: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- The role of frailty in the association between depression and fall risk among older adults.Aging & mental health · 2022Article
- A comparative analysis of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and fall risk in older adults.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2022Article
- Antidepressant Use Partially Mediates the Association Between Depression and Risk of Falls and Fall Injuries Among Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Association between neuromelanin-sensitive MRI signal and psychomotor slowing in late-life depression.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Article
- Depression, antidepressants and fall risk: therapeutic dilemmas-a clinical review.European geriatric medicine · 2021Review
- Occupational Therapy and the Use of Technology on Older Adult Fall Prevention: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Risk factors and consequences of depression in later life: Findings from the health in men study (HIMS).Aging brain · 2021Article
- Independent and synergistic effects of pain, insomnia, and depression on falls among older adults: a longitudinal study.BMC geriatrics · 2020Article
- Multinational Investigation of Fracture Risk with Antidepressant Use by Class, Drug, and Indication.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2020Article
- Article
- Prevalence and risk factors associated with non-traffic related injury in the older population in Ghana: Wave 2 of the WHO Study on Global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).Preventive medicine reports · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepression and falls are common and co-exist for older people. Safe management of each of these conditions is important to quality of life.
methodsA cross-sectional survey was used to examine medication use associated with injurious and non-injurious falls in 21,900 community-dwelling adults, aged 60 years or over from 383 Australian general practices recruited for the DEPS-GP Project. Falls and injury from falls, medication use, depressive symptoms (Primary Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)), clinical morbidity, suicidal ideation and intent, health status (SF-12 Health Survey), demographic and lifestyle information was reported in a standardised survey.
findingsRespondents were 71.8 years (sd 7.7) of age and 58.4% were women. 24% 11% and 8% reported falls, fall related injury, and sought medical attention respectively. Antidepressant use (odds ratio, OR: 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI: 1.25, 1.70), questionable depression (5-14 on PHQ OR: 1.32, 95%CI: 1.13, 1.53) and clinically significant symptoms of depression (15 or more on PHQ OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.14, 1.50) were independently associated with multiple falls. SSRI use was associated with the highest risk of multiple falls (OR: 1.66, 95%CI: 1.36, 2.02) amongst all psychotropic medications. Similar associations were observed for injurious falls. Over 60% of those with four accumulated risk factors had multiple falls in the previous year (OR: 3.40, 95%CI: 1.79, 6.45); adjusted for other demographic and health factors.
interpretationAntidepressant use (particularly SSRIs) was strongly associated with falls regardless of presence of depressive symptoms. Strategies to prevent falls should become a routine part of the management of older people with depression.
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