Integrated Management of Depression in the Elderly

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems facing older people, and it is often unrecognised and usually under-treated. Integrated Management of Depression in the Elderly provides an entirely new approach to understanding late-life depression, by using a series of case studies with commentaries from practitioners internationally. The book covers the epidemiology, presentation and diagnosis of depression in older people and outlines current evidence for effective management drawing on recently published work. The substantive part of the book presents ten case studies of increasing complexity, each case has a commentary from a primary care clinician and a health or social care professional, to outline how professionals should work together to manage the patient within their community. Contributions from world experts give the book an international appeal. It will appeal to a wide audience of health and social care professionals together with psychiatrists-in-training.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements; Foreword Dan Blazer; Preface; 1. Late-life depression: an introduction; 2. Management of late-life depression; 3. Management of late-life depression in primary care: case studies UK; 4. Management of more complicated depression in primary care: case studies UK; 5. Management of late-life depression across the primary and secondary care interface: case studies UK; 6. Management of late-life depression around the world: summary of international commentaries; 7. Management of late-life depression: useful resources; Appendix. International commentaries; Index.

About the Author :
Carolyn A. Chew-Graham is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Manchester. Robert Baldwin is a Consultant in Old Age at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Alistair Burns is a Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Manchester.

Review :
'The result is accessible and very readable and although the introductory material is quite brief it is authoritative and well summarised. The focus on primary care is clear throughout and the book uses the stepped care approach proposed by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) that will be familiar to many people in the UK. … How well does the imaginative format of the book work? The cases are typical of everyday practice and raise important issues. The vignettes could themselves be used for teaching and discussion purposes, before making reference to the discussion. … Reading and listening to stories is something that draws us to other people and its emphasis on stories is what helps to bring this book alive.' Psychological Medicine 'Integrated Management of Depression in the Elderly deftly covers the etiology, assessment and management of depression in older adults in a slim and portable volume. … I would recommend this boo to those setting out in the practice of medicine of psychiatry, both in primary and secondary care.' Journal of International Psychogeriatrics