Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2008) 14: 152-158. doi: 10.1192/apt.bp.106.003400
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Variend, H.
Right arrow Articles by Gopal, Y. V.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Variend, H.
Right arrow Articles by Gopal, Y. V.

Late-onset depression: issues affecting clinical care

Hannele Variend and Y. Vishnu Gopal

Hannele Variend is an academic specialist registrar in general adult psychiatry working in the Yorkshire Deanery. Y. Vishnu Gopal is a consultant psychiatrist at the Hartington Unit (Royal Hospital, Chesterfield S44 5BL, UK. Email: vgopal{at}doctors.org.uk). His interests include assessment and management of cognitive dysfunctions.

A growing body of evidence suggests that late-onset depression (depression occurring for the first time in later life) differs from early-onset (recurrent) depression in terms of clinical features, aetiology, neuroanatomical substrates and prognosis. Some evidence suggests that late-onset depression is more associated with somatic symptoms, cognitive deficits, cerebral structural abnormalities, vascular disease (‘vascular depression’) and poorer treatment outcomes than is early-onset depression. Both general adult and old age psychiatrists face the challenges of managing late-onset depression. In this article we attempt to clarify specific issues relating to late-onset depression in terms of clinical features, aetiology, treatment response and prognosis.