Antidepressants: their uses in nonpsychiatric disorders of aging.

Antidepressants are recommended by some clinicians as therapy for irritable colon even when there is no evidence of clinical depression, since this syndrome may represent a type of chronic masked depression. Antidepressants may be a good alternative in elderly patients with peptic ulcer disease, particularly in those with concurrent depression. Advantages include once-a-day administration, lower cost, and ease of serum monitoring.