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Updated: May 17, 2026

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Published on: January 24, 2020

[Depression in old age: challenge for aging societies].

S G Riedel-Heller¹, S Weyerer, H-H König

¹Institut für Sozialmedizin, Arbeitsmedizin und Public Health (ISAP), Medizinische Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Str. 55, 04103 Leipzig, Deutschland. Steffi.Riedel-Heller@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

|October 30, 2012

Summary

Late-life depression is prevalent and costly, impacting individuals and society. Most older adults with depression are undertreated, highlighting a need for improved care strategies and research, especially in Germany.

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Area of Science:

Geriatric Psychiatry
Public Health
Health Economics

Context:

Depression in old age is a significant public health issue with substantial individual and societal consequences.
Existing research highlights the prevalence, course, and risk factors of late-life depression.
Healthcare costs for depressed elderly individuals are notably higher, despite underdiagnosis and undertreatment.

Purpose:

To review recent findings on the prevalence, course, and risk factors of depression in older adults.
To outline the individual and societal costs associated with late-life depression.
To discuss potential improvement strategies and the need for context-specific adaptation, particularly in Germany.

Summary:

This review synthesizes current population-based and primary care research on late-life depression.
It details the increased healthcare utilization and costs associated with depression in the elderly.
The paper emphasizes that late-life depression remains underrecognized and undertreated, with limited data from Germany.

Impact:

Highlights the economic burden of untreated depression in older adults, showing one-third higher healthcare costs.
Underscores the critical need for better recognition and treatment of depression in the elderly population.
Suggests collaborative care models as potential solutions, emphasizing the need for adaptation to the German healthcare system and future research directions.