Work

Treating Depressed Older Adults in Primary Care: Narrowing the Gap between Efficacy and Effectiveness

Year: 1999

Type: review

Abstract: There is a gap between the efficacy of treatments for late-life depression under research conditions and the effectiveness of treatments as they occur in the "real world" of primary care. Considerable evidence supports the efficacy of treatments for late-life depression, but many depressed older adults either are not recognized or do not receive effective treatment for depression in primary care. Older adults face a range of special treatment barriers: knowledge deficits; losses and social isolation; multiple medical problems; and lack of financial resources. More research is needed to understand these barriers and to study the effectiveness of multifaceted, population-based disease management interventions for late-life depression in primary care.

Source: Milbank Quarterly

DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.00132

Authors: Jürgen Unützer, Wayne Katon, Mark Sullivan, Jeanne Miranda

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Georgetown University, University of Washington, University of California System

Language: English

Topic: Mental Health Treatment and Access

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: John A. Hartford Foundation, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, National Institute on Aging