Treatment of geriatric depressionThe views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Veterans Affairs. .

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Treatment of geriatric depressionThe views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Veterans Affairs. .
Authors:	Small, Gary W.
Source:	Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269). 1998 Supplement 1, Vol. 8, p32-42. 11p.
Subjects:	Depression in old age, Mental depression, Geriatric psychiatry, Psychopharmacology, Drug therapy, Antidepressants
Abstract:	The author reviews clinical issues regarding the treatment of late-life depression. Accurate diagnosis is complicated by the presence of medical illness, dementia syndromes, and heterogeneity of patient populations. Older depressed patients are often sensitive to drug toxicity resulting from age-related pharmacokinetic changes and polypharmacy. Thus, modification in the use of antidepressant drugs is needed to avoid side effects. Numerous antidepressant drugs are safe and efficacious in elderly depressed patients, and newer agents such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are often preferred over tricyclic antidepressants because of side effect profiles. Nonpharmacological approaches, alone and in combination with antidepressant drugs, are also useful, and maintenance treatments appear to reduce the likelihood of relapse. Depression and Anxiety, Volume 8, Supplement 1:32–42, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	The author reviews clinical issues regarding the treatment of late-life depression. Accurate diagnosis is complicated by the presence of medical illness, dementia syndromes, and heterogeneity of patient populations. Older depressed patients are often sensitive to drug toxicity resulting from age-related pharmacokinetic changes and polypharmacy. Thus, modification in the use of antidepressant drugs is needed to avoid side effects. Numerous antidepressant drugs are safe and efficacious in elderly depressed patients, and newer agents such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are often preferred over tricyclic antidepressants because of side effect profiles. Nonpharmacological approaches, alone and in combination with antidepressant drugs, are also useful, and maintenance treatments appear to reduce the likelihood of relapse. Depression and Anxiety, Volume 8, Supplement 1:32–42, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10914269