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Treatment of the Depressed Elderly Patient

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Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Treatment of the depressed elderly patient requires careful appraisal of the nature and severity of the patient’s affective disturbance. A program is then selected that will offer the optimum balance between the disruptive effect of the symptoms and the antidepressant treatments, most of which have a high potential for toxicity in older people. Milder depressions may be successfully treated with psychotherapy or the psychostimulants. More severe depressive states usually require treatment with cyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or electroconvulsive therapy. Antidepressant treatment is often undertaken in patients with cardiovascular disease or preexisting cognitive dysfunction, which emphasizes the need for special care in treating this population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, USA

    Carl Salzman (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Psychopharmacology)

  2. Massachusetts Mental Health Center, USA

    Carl Salzman (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Psychopharmacology)

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  1. Carl Salzman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behaviroral Animal Research, Lafayette Clinic, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Harvey J. Altman Ph.D. (Direcotor, Assistant Professor) (Direcotor, Assistant Professor)

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Harvey J. Altman Ph.D. (Direcotor, Assistant Professor) (Direcotor, Assistant Professor)

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Salzman, C. (1987). Treatment of the Depressed Elderly Patient. In: Altman, H.J. (eds) Alzheimer’s Disease. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6414-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6414-0_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-6416-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-6414-0

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