[Are psychotherapeutic interventions effective in late-life depression? a systematic review]

To conduct a systematic review about existing evidence for the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for depression in older adults.

Electronic databases were systematic searched to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Psychotherapeutic interventions are effective for treating depression in the elderly. Psychotherapy is more effective at reducing depressive symptoms than being on a waiting list or treatment as usual. The strongest evidence exists for approaches of cognitive and behavioral therapy. In head-to-head studies comparing different psychotherapeutic approaches the majority of the interventions did not proof to be superior to others, so far. Psychotherapy is also an effective intervention for reducing depressive symptoms in older adults with sub-threshold depression.

Psychological interventions could play an important role in the treatment of late-life depression. However, there is still a need for high-quality studies, in which especially very old adults, older adults with cognitive and sensory impairments or chronic somatic illnesses are included.