Treatment
Antidepressant treatment can be tricky in older adults. For one thing, the depression may be one of many ailments, including chronic conditions that require medication. The more medications you are taking, the greater the risk that one will make another ineffective or even dangerous. If possible, an older adult should be treated for depression by a psycho-pharmacologist, a doctor who specializes in psychiatric medications. He or she will have a more complete understanding of how medications interact than a general practitioner.
Something else that should be noted is that older adults, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, have a high percentage of relapse if antidepressants are discontinued. Psychotherapy did not appear to be effective in preventing this. Since patients are often taken off antidepressants after six months to a year, this is something to keep in mind when a physician is prescribing a course of treatment for an older adult.
Links
Depression in Older Adults and the Elderly
Clinical Depression: The Under-diagnosed and Untreated Elderly
Suicide Among the Elderly
Men Over 50: An Endangered Species
Antidepressant drug interactions in the elderly
Long-term antidepressants for elderly?
New antidepressants for old people?
