Special issues in the management of depression in older patients

Major depressive disorder is frequently undiagnosed and untreated in older patients. Grief, pain, sleep issues, concurrent medications, altered physiology, and the presence of comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions can complicate the management of depression in older patients. Remission should be the goal of therapy in treating depression in the elderly, just as it is in younger patients, to maximize the impact of treatment on quality of life. Managing depression in older patients can be done effectively with the antidepressant therapies currently available, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), venlafaxine, and mirtazapine. Comorbid medical conditions, which are common among older patients, can have a significant impact on depression and vice versa. Antidepressant therapy with SSRIs has demonstrated efficacy and tolerability in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events and stroke and in those with vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Care should be taken to choose antidepressants with no or minimal effects on glucose levels in patients with diabetes. In addition, venlafaxine has demonstrated beneficial effects on the relief of the pain of diabetic neuropathy. Venlafaxine, mirtrazapine, and the SSRIs have demonstrated efficacy and tolerability in older patients, while tricyclic antidepressants have also demonstrated efficacy; however, tolerability can be a problem. Depression is not a natural part of the aging process, as some still believe. The review of current data indicates that the goal of management can and should be full remission. Further, the use of newer agents is safe and effective in this population, as long as one considers the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic properties and inherent biological differences in the elderly population when selecting appropriate therapy.