Symposium on Age Differentiation in Depressive Illness: Depression in the Elderly

Depressions in the elderly have many similarities to depressions in other age groups, particularly in their episodic nature, their tendency to remit, and their potential for favorable immediate outcome. They may, however, be far more easily overlooked. They often are considered to be consistent with senescence because of their frequent association with metabolic disturbance, with a variety of physical illnesses, with impaired cerebral function, and with hypochondriacal manifestations that may be viewed as characteristic of old age. It is important, therefore, that the clinician who treats these older patients be aware that depression is the psychiatric symptom he will most often encounter in the elderly and that it is as distressing in this age group as it is in younger persons. It represents an entity that often is reversible with prompt and appropriate treatment.