RT Book, Section
A1 Kane, Robert L.
A1 Ouslander, Joseph G.
A1 Resnick, Barbara
A1 Malone, Michael L.
SR Print(0)
ID 1149536227
T1 Diagnosis and Management of Depression
T2 Essentials of Clinical Geriatrics, 8e
YR 2017
FD 2017
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259860515
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1149536227
RD 2024/04/23
AB Depression  in  older  adults  is  a  persistent  or  recurrent  disorder  resulting  from  psychosocial  stress  or  the  physiological  effects  of  disease  and  is  commonly  referred  to  as  late-life  depression.  This  psychological  problem  is  more  common  than  dementia  and  can  lead  to  disability,  cognitive  impairment,  exacerbation  of  medical  problems,  increased  use  of  health-care  services,  and  increased  risk  of  falls  and  suicide.  The  presence  of  depression  complicates  the  treatment  of  other  physiological  problems.  Unlike  dementia,  depression  is  treatable  and  thus  diagnosis  is  very  important.  Unfortunately,  depression  is  severely  underrecognized  and  undertreated.  This  lack  of  identification  and  treatment  can  be  traced  to  providers  assuming  that  the  signs  and  symptoms  of  depression  are  normal  age  changes  and/or  normal  responses  to  life  events  or  medical  problems.