The prevention of major depression in the elderly.

Limited information is available regarding the relationship between elderly individuals and depression; but the clinician can anticipate problems in those who have had depression in the past, in those who are bereaved, in caretakers, and in patients with a number of other illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, stroke, alcoholism, and severe medical illness. Treatment may shorten the duration of the depression, limit long-term sequelae, and reduce the likelihood of suicide. More research with careful methodology would be helpful in clarifying directions for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel German Blazer Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...