Late-life depression with comorbid cognitive impairment and disability: nonpharmacological interventions

Victoria M Wilkins¹, Dimitris Kiosses¹, Lisa D Ravdin^2
1Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, White Plains, NY, USA; ²Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

Abstract: Less than half of older adults with depression achieve remission with antidepressant medications, and rates of remission are even poorer for those with comorbid conditions. Psychosocial interventions have been effective in treating geriatric depression, either alone or better yet, in combination with antidepressant medications. Traditional strategies for nonpharmacological treatment of late-life depression do not specifically address the co-occurring cognitive impairment and disability that is prevalent in this population. Newer therapies are recognizing the need to simultaneously direct treatment efforts in late-life depression towards the triad of depressive symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, and functional disability that is so often found in geriatric depression, and this comprehensive approach holds promise for improved treatment outcomes.

Keywords: geriatric depression, dementia, functional impairment, psychotherapy