Depression Among Older People: A Need for Greater Awareness
Stephen Curran a1 a1 Academic Unit of Psychiatry, St James's
University Hospital, Leeds
Abstract
During the past year depression has remained an important theme
of debate
in Britain because of its continued high prevalence and association with
suicide. Nonetheless patients are often inadequately assessed, the diagnosis
is
frequently missed, and treatment is commonly inadequate. Depression also
has a complex aetiology and physical causes including several medical
conditions are often causally related. The condition has a devastating
effect on
an individual's life and without adequate treatment can be disabling.
The
following papers examine some of these issues in detail.
