Depression and the Elderly Cox Term Paper

However, the side effects of drugs, especially in older adults, and the less-than-universal effectiveness of current therapies prompt the continued search for alternate safe treatment interventions. Numerous research studies report the use of psychotherapeutic approaches and compare them to medical therapies. (Mcfarland, 2005)

Medical treatments have been assessed through various studies. Mcfarland, reports on studies on cognitive behavioral therapy. Research was conducted in hopes that there would be a significant change in coping ability, and significant changes in the older adult's feelings. Cognitive behavior of 102 elderly outpatients with mild to moderate depression is compared. The patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) desipramine alone, 2) cognitive behavioral therapy alone, or 3) desipramine plus cognitive behavioral therapy for 16-20 therapy sessions. Research results show that the groups that received desipramine plus cognitive behavioral therapy showed greater improvement than the groups taking medication alone, whereas the group receiving cognitive therapy alone showed only marginally more improvement.The study suggests that cognitive therapy alone and in combination with medication offers effective treatment for mild-moderate depression in the elderly (2005).

The results of this study propose that cognitive behavioral therapy is a useful treatment in depression associated with medical illnesses. The above research only further shows that the number of elderly dealing with depression and its effects are significant enough to lead to more research regarding this expanding epidemic. The research also indicated that the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy is significant and should be further researched and utilized in an attempt to decrease the number of older adults suffering with depression and its counterparts.

References

Cox, C. (1993). The Frail Elderly: Problems, Needs, and Community Responses. Westport, CT: Auburn House Paperback.

D'Mello, D.A. (2003). 1 Epidemiology of Late-Life Depression. In Depression in Later Life: A Multidisciplinary Psychiatric Approach, Ellison, J.M. & Verma, S. (Eds.) (pp. 1-26). New York: Marcel Dekker.

Mcfarland,.....