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Chapter 9.Depressive Disorders

Edited by:
    https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9781615375196.ds09

    Sections

    Epidemiology | Clinical Course | Complications and Consequences of Late-Life Depression | Etiology | Biological Origins | Psychological Origins | Social Origins | Multiple Possible Etiologies and Overall Vulnerability | Differential Diagnosis of Late-Life Mood Disorders | Diagnostic Workup of the Older Adult With Depression | Treatment of Depression in Older Adults | Conclusion | References

    Excerpt

    Depression in later life is heterogeneous. It can present either as a recurrent episode in an elderly person with a personal history of multiple prior episodes or as a first episode in someone with no prior lifetime history. It can occur following loss, such as bereavement or loss of independence, or without obvious precipitating stresses. Depression can develop alongside chronic pain or persistent medical illness or accompany cognitive decline and dementia. Some individuals respond to the first treatment offered, whereas others have treatment-resistant late-life depression (LLD). How can one make sense of this heterogeneity? Answers to this question in part depend on how depression is defined.

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