[Depressive diseases of the involutional age]

Depressions in old age tend to become chronic. This depends on the difficulty to adapt to the biological changes in old age. Depression in aged people should be valued equally to other depression. It has to be differentiated from mental deficiency in age. Some points characterize depression in involutional age: deminuation of functions of the body, cancellation of old people, isolation and social distress in age, lack of relation to the future. The onset of therapy has to regard these different factors.