[Treating Late Life Depression with Antidepressants--A Summary of Recommendations in International Guidelines]

Late life depression is associated with severe health consequences, e.g. elevated risk of medical comorbidity and decreased quality of life. This paper summarizes the recommendations of the international guidelines on evidence-based pharmacological treatment of depression in late life in a systematic review. Pharmacological treatments for depression recommended by most of the guidelines, however, hardly address the issue of the possible side effects of antidepressants and other factors of multi-medication on the elderly. Different guidelines pay different degrees of attention to the specific group of geriatric patients. There is a lack of evidence-based treatment recommendation that takes into consideration the specific age-related issues of sensitivity to adverse effects or pharmacokinetic interaction. Further research is required to provide a database for more refined recommendations in guidelines.