Depression in old age.

We are increasingly becoming a society of older people. The most prevalent emotional disturbance in this group is depression. Its management is an urgent concern to professionals in the mental health field. A review is presented of the clinical management of depression in old age in the special out-patient setting of an Affective Disorders Clinic. Sociologic, psychologic, and biologic factors as they affected the aging process are discussed in the frame of a developmental approach to aging. Illustrative clinical material shows the value of this approach in the assessment and management of depression in the aged.