The two-way relationship between medical illness and late-life depression.
This article reviews some common medical conditions and the interaction between those illnesses and depression in the geriatric population. The authors aim to help clarify the 2-way interaction between depression and these medical conditions, especially in older individuals, and impart some important diagnostic and treatment considerations to the practicing physician. The presence of multiple conditions further complicates treatment, as does associated medication use, substance abuse problems (often underappreciated in the elderly), age-related changes in sleep architecture, and an array of other psychosocial and environmental factors that can contribute to the development of depression.
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, 4502 East 41st Street, Tulsa, OK 74135-2512, USA. Electronic address: Ondria-gleason@ouhsc.edu.
Ondria C
OC
Gleason
Aaron M
AM
Pierce
Ashley E
AE
Walker
Julia K
JK
Warnock
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology
Comorbidities; Late-life depression; Late-life physical health