Late-life depression and mental health services in primary care.

Mental health services in the treatment of late-life depression are critical in the primary care arena. A significant proportion of elderly patients experience depression, a problem causing a far-reaching impact on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. A number of barriers may prevent effective depression treatment including negative physician and patient attitudes toward the stigma of depression, somatically focused clinical presentations, health care plan constraints, and competing medical demands, as well as gender and geographic isolation.

Comparison of adult and geriatric psychiatric practice patterns: findings from the American Psychiatric Association's Practice Research Network.

Objective: The authors explored diagnostic and treatment patterns for patients under and over age 65 seen by a nationally representative sample of psychiatrists participating in the American Psychiatric Association's Practice Research Network.

Methods: Detailed patient information, including demographic and financial characteristics, diagnoses, service utilization, and treatment, was collected by 383 psychiatrists on 1,026 patients to assess the impact of patient age on pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy service use as well as treatment outcomes.

Results: Approximately 15% of the patient sample was over age 65.