ASSESSING AND TREATING LATE-LIFE DEPRESSION: A CASEBOOK AND RESOURCE GUIDE

Not only is depression among the elderly treatable but, given its increase in incidence and a rapidly aging population, it is a critical issue for the mental-health and medical communities. The authors review the range of late-life depressive syndromes and the strategies for assessing and treating them, and illustrate the problems and principles with fourteen extended case studies-rare in the geropsychology literature and the core of the book. They also provide a guide to medications, screening tools, innovative models, and supplementary resources, invaluable tools for mental-health professionals and medical practitioners alike.

Michele J. Karel, Ph.D., is a practitioner, clinical supervisor, and researcher in geropsychology at the V.A. Boston Healthcare System and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She lives in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Suzann M. Ogland-Hand, Ph.D., is a geriatric consultant and supervising geropsychologist with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Michigan State University. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Margaret Gatz, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California. A leading academic in the field of geriatric mental health, she edited Emerging Issues in Mental Health and Aging after the White House Conference on Aging and has authored more than 100 articles and chapters. She lives in Los Angeles.