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Ninety-one eldeis with a major depressive disorder (MOD) were treated for 16 to 20 sessions of behavioral, cognitive, or brief psychodynamic psychotherapy. Prior to treatment 20 of these subjects were assigned to a 6-week delayed treatment control condition. By the end of 6 weeks patients in the treatment conditions showed improvement, whereas controls did not. Overall, 52% of the treatment sample attained remission by termination; another 18% showed significant improvement. The remainder still met criteria for MDD at the conclusion of therapy. A number of outcome measures indicated no significant main effects for group and no significant Group X Time interactions, suggesting that all three modalities were equally effective in obtaining positive results. The number of elders responding to these treatments compares favorably with younger samples in other studies, indicating the efficacy of psychotherapy for the treatment of depression in the elderly.

Family caregivers who sought help to increase their coping skills (N = 158) and caregivers who volunteered for a longitudinal study of Alzheimer's disease (N = 58) were screened for depression. Among help-seekers, 46% had depression according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), but among non-help-seekers, only 18% met this criterion. In general, women were more depressed than men, but no major differences in the extent of depression were found in those who cared for more impaired persons.

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