Practical considerations for the treatment of depression in elderly and very elderly long-term care patients

Abstract

Depression in the elderly and very elderly, especially those in long-term care facilities, often is more difficult to treat than depression in young or middle-aged adults. Because this population may be more sensitive to the common adverse effects of many antidepressant drugs, particularly the anticholinergic side effects, administration of pharmacologic therapy for depression in the elderly requires careful consideration of the side effect profiles of the various classes of antidepressant medication.