Geriatric Dysthymia

This article reviews what is known about the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and treatmentof dysthymia in the geriatric age group. Although less common in the elderly than in young adults,dysthymia may have its onset in middle or late life. Geriatric dysthymia appears to have less associatedpsychiatric comorbidity and closer links to severe life stresses, particularly medical illnesses,than dysthymia with early-age onset. Preliminary reports of response to antidepressant medicationsare encouraging in the elderly, but randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are needed insamples of dysthymic patients in this age group.