The Article in Brief

Treatment of depression may lead to more dramatic improvements in the health of elderly patients than treatment for other chronic illnesses. Researchers found that patients' mental functioning, disability and quality of life are affected more by the severity of a patient's depression than by other chronic medical conditions like diabetes, lung disease, hypertension, cancer, chronic pain and heart disease. Patients with more severe depression experience lower quality of life, lower physical and mental functioning, and more disability. Late-life depression can be treated, and improved recognition and treatment of this condition could significantly improve patients' lives, in spite of other medical illnesses.