Current litigation between the state Attorneys General and the tobacco industry is expected to bring money into state coffers to help with smoking-related health care costs. This article estimates state Medicaid expenditures attributable to smoking for the 1993 fiscal year. Rates range from state to state depending on the prevalence of smoking. Ryden, Muriel B., et al. Assessment of Depression in a Population At Risk.
Several factors contribute to the risk for depression in newly admitted nursing facility residents.
Separation, loss of independence, functional decline, limited personal space, and loss of autonomy are all contributing factors. Estimates of depression in this population range between 12 percent and 15 percent with an additional 18 percent to 30 percent with depressive symptoms. Depression is underdiagnosed and undertreated in the nursing facility population. Assessment of depression is a complex process because symptoms associated with depression such as weight loss, fatigue, and insomnia, are also associated with many medical illnesses. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research developed practice guidelines for depression in 1993.