The management of depression and anxiety in the elderly

The most common psychiatric disorders in later life, with the exception of dementia, are depression and anxiety. Often underdiagnosed or simply accepted with resignation as an inevitable part of aging or as an unavoidable complication of other constitutional illnesses, these disorders contribute to excess disability in older patients and further compromise their quality of life. This report discusses depression and anxiety in the growing elderly population--its prevalence, detection methods, diagnostic considerations, and present interventions.