[Depression in old age]

Abstract

Affecting 3% of the old-age population and 10-20% of elderly patients with chronic medical illness or dementia, depression is an important health problem in late life. Depression with first onset in late life differs from early-onset depression clinically as well as by more organic cerebral involvement. If untreated, depression in the elderly leads to severe disability and to excess mortality by suicide and by adverse outcome of medical illness. The response to antidepressant drugs in old age is on the same level as in younger age-groups, and as less than 1 in 5 elderly people with depression is diagnosed and treated, there is substantial room for improving the prognosis of old-age depression.