Psychological therapies for depression in the elderly

In this literature review and meta-analysis, researchers evaluated the effect of psychological therapies in elderly people residing in long-term care facilities, compared with the prescription of antidepressant medication. A total of 19 randomized controlled trials were included, involving 873 patients. The psychological therapies studied were cognitive-behavioral, behavioral and reminiscence therapies. The researchers found evidence of very low certainty that psychological therapies were more effective than standard treatments. In just one study, low-certainty evidence indicated a reduction in the number of participants with major depressive disorder.