Motivation et cognitions spécifiques chez la personne âgée dépressive

Cognitive therapy is increasingly acknowledged and used in elderly depressive patients. Depression in later life is characterized by specific cognitions, added to which are Beck's triad. Forty patients, with or without depression, aged on average 80.5 years participated in the study. Beck's Cognitive Triad and specific cognitions: “impossible change with age” and “ordinariness of depressive symptoms with age” were found. Motivational approach in this study showed a significant relationship between depression in later life and motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation). Depressive elders showed a higher extrinsic motivation level than elders without depression. Cognitive triad by Beck, specific cognitions and extrinsic motivation characterised the elderly depressive patients. These characteristics raise a number of questions concerning an eventual adaptation of cognitive therapy to this group of patients.