Treatment of depression in low-income older adults.
The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT), clinical case management (CCM), and their combination (CBGT + CCM) to treat depression in low-income older adults (60+). Sixty-seven participants with major depressive disorder or dysthymia were randomly assigned and entered into 1 of the 3 treatment conditions for 6 months. They were followed for 18 months after treatment initiation on depression and functional outcomes. CCM and CBGT + CCM led to greater improvements in depressive symptoms than CBGT, but CBGT led to greater improvements in physical functioning. All 3 conditions resulted in similar reduction of needs. Findings suggest that disadvantaged older adults with depression benefit from increased access to social services either alone or combined with psychotherapy.
Areán
Patricia A
PA
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0984, USA. pata@lppi.ucsf.edu
Gum
Amber
A
McCulloch
Charles E
CE
Bostrom
Alan
A
Gallagher-Thompson
Dolores
D
Thompson
Larry
L
D019090:Case Management; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome