Depression In Seniors May Be Underrecognized, Undertreated

The Washington Post (12/8, Levingston) “Health & Science” blog reported that according to the Institute of Medicine, “by 2030, there will be as many as 14 million American seniors with mental health or substance abuse disorders, up from five million to eight million today.” Even now, “depressive disorders, along with dementia-related behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, are the most common maladies facing that group,” making depression an undertreated and underrecognized condition in seniors. Unfortunately, “the despair and withdrawal of depression can spark a rapid, functional decline, including problems with concentration.”

Related Links:

— “Depression is often undertreated in seniors,” Suzanne Allard Levingston, Washington Post, December 8, 2014.

Posted in In The News.