Geriatric Depression

• Geriatric Psychiatry, Depression

TABLE. The incidence of treatment-resistant depression as reported by survey takers

Figure 1 and 2: Percentage of practice consisting of patients with TRD. Percentage of TRD patients aged 60+ years.

Depression is a major public health issue and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. It is the third-greatest contributor to global disease burden1 and affects both low- and high-income countries, with a 12-month prevalence of 5.9% and 5.5%, respectively.2 There is a relative paucity of information on treatment of late-life treatment-resistant depression (TRD). We conducted a survey of the readership of Psychiatric Times to assess the general attitudes toward the prevalence of—and the existing treatment approaches toward—TRD in adults 60 years and older.

Here we present the results of that survey and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to TRD management./.../