Tratar la depresión en el anciano, ¿hasta cuándo?

Abstract

Depression is the most frequent psychia- tric illness in elderly patients. It is the first cause among patients who commit suicide at this age, generates great suffering in the patients and in their family, and is a source of significant disability due to the disease itself and the impact on the evolution of other comorbid diseases. Once diagnosed and treated, the evolution of the disease can be to a complete recovery of the patient, symptomatic and functional recovery. Howe- ver, it is frequent, in this period of life, that the depressive illness would be recurrent and that therefore it would be necessary to main- tain the antidepressant treatment for several years or continuously. It is also common that some of the symptoms do not respond in the same way to the pharmacological treatment or psychotherapy. In this case, they can do it later than core symptoms do, or remain as residual symptoms. These symptoms can be so important and affect in such a way the life of the patients that condition the prognosis of the disease they suffer. Cognitive symp- toms, anxiety and alterations of biological rhythms, especially sleep, are those that re- quire more attention, but the ideas of death and suicide, somatic symptoms and apathy are also symptoms to be taken into account. Finally, some patients have resistant forms and do not respond to the treatment used, or they do it very partially. This article aims to review possible evolutions, to approach therapeutic harassment possibilities, and, finally, to examine some issues in the lives of these patients that could influence the coping of the disease.