title: The elderly.
abstract: Late life depression is common and associated with disability, reduced quality of life, mortality, and high health care costs. Depressed older adults frequently have comorbid medical illnesses and cognitive impairment, but relatively little is known about the diagnosis and treatment of depression in the face of these comorbid conditions. Only a minority of depressed older adults receive specialty mental health care and most depression care is provided in primary care where few receive effective treatment. Very little is known about the epidemiology and quality of care for bipolar disorder in late life. Additional research should focus on the quality and outcomes of care for older adults with affective disorders in diverse settings (including primary care, specialty mental health care, home health care, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities) and on the care of older adults who have affective disorders and comorbid medical disorders, dementia, substance use disorders, or chronic pain.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, 10920 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300, Los Angeles, California 90024, USA. unutzer@ucl.edu
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Unützer
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012106:Research; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology