title: Late-life depression: evidence-based treatment and promising new directions for research and clinical practice.
abstract: As the population ages, successive cohorts of older adults will experience depressive disorders. Late-life depression (LLD) carries additional risk for suicide, medical comorbidity, disability, and family caregiving burden. Although response and remission rates to pharmacotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy are comparable with those in midlife depression, relapse rates are higher, underscoring the challenge to achieve and maintain wellness. This article reviews the evidence base for LLD treatment options and provides an analysis of treatment options for difficult-to-treat LLD variants (eg, psychotic depression, vascular depression). Treatment algorithms are also reviewed based on predictors of response and promising novel treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara Street, 247 Sterling Plaza, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andreescu
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Reynolds
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004358:Drug Therapy; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome