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Chapter 18 - Review of Treatment for Late-Life Depression

from Section 3 - Approaches to Management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2020

By
Katherine Hay ,
Will Stageman  and
Charlotte L Allan
Edited by
Julian C. Hughes  and
Philippa Lilford
Julian C. Hughes
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
Philippa Lilford
Affiliation:
Severn Deanery, University of Bristol
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Summary

In 2018, Public Health England reported that one in five older people living in the community and two in five older people living in care homes are affected by depression. These symptoms are associated with reduced quality of life and high morbidity, and also with increased mortality through suicide and self-neglect. A 2014 study showed that major depression was associated with a 43% increase in the risk of non-suicide-related mortality in adults over the age of 50. Depression across all age groups has a detrimental impact on recovery from surgery and in older people, increases the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke., There is a gathering body of evidence that depression is a risk factor for dementia and, that in people with mild cognitive impairment, the presence of depression may increase the risk of progression to dementia.

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Chapter
Information
Clinical Topics in Old Age Psychiatry , pp. 243 - 253
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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