Depression in late-life: shifting the paradigm from treatment to prevention.

Full Abstract

Late-life depression is very common and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. While the field of geriatric psychiatry is focused on depression treatment, prevention is an enticing option. Prevention of late-life depression would decrease both emotional suffering and depression-associated morbidity and mortality and may decrease dependence on non-mental health professionals to detect depression and to initiate a treatment referral. This paper will review current thinking on prevention research with a particular focus on its application to late-life depression. To illustrate these issues, we discuss recent and ongoing clinical trials of interventions to prevent depression in two populations of older persons:
those with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and those with cerebrovascular disease.

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Author information

Author/s: Whyte, Ellen M (EM); Rovner, Barry (B);

Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. whyteem(-atsign-)upmc.edu

Grants: MH067710 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH61331 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Review

Journal: International journal of geriatric psychiatry (Int J Geriatr Psychiatry), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 21 (issue 8) : pp 746-51

Dates: Created 2006/08/28; Completed 2007/06/08; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 16858747, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged - psychology
Cerebrovascular Disorders - psychology
Depressive Disorder - etiology; prevention & control
Geriatric Psychiatry

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