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Review
. 2013 Dec;36(4):497-516.
doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2013.08.001. Epub 2013 Oct 6.

What are the causes of late-life depression?

Rehan Aziz  1 , David C Steffens
Affiliations
Review

What are the causes of late-life depression?

Rehan Aziz et al. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2013 Dec.

Abstract

Although depression in old age is less common than depression in younger populations, it still affects more than 1 million community-living older adults. Depression in late life has been associated with reduced quality of life and increased mortality from both suicide and illness. Its causes are multifactorial but are prominently related to both biologic and social factors. Psychological factors, although less studied in elders, are also important in understanding its cause. In this article, multiple facets of late-life depression are reviewed, including its clinical presentation, epidemiology, and biopsychosocial causes.

Keywords: Depression; Geriatric; Late life; Psychological; Social factors in late life.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
MRI brain scan of a 73-year-old woman with major depression. The scan shows extensive white matter disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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