Centre for Policy on Ageing



Depression and sleep disturbance in elderly patients
Author(s)	Alan Wade, Susan Downie
Journal title	Geriatric Medicine, vol 38, Supplement 2, May 2008
Pages	pp 25-29
Keywords	Depression ; Sleep disorders ; Sleep behaviour ; Therapy ; Drugs.
Annotation	Depression and insomnia are both increasingly prevalent in elderly patients, and a reciprocal relationship exists between the two conditions. Effective treatment relies on an accurate diagnosis of the primary condition. older patients with depression should be helped to improve their sleep hygiene before initiating pharmacological therapy to treat sleep disturbance. Behavioural approaches may also be effective before, or as an adjunct to, medication. Drug treatment is prescription of one or more antidepressants, alone or with a hypnotic agent. Many existing treatments are associated with side-effects, rebound insomnia, or withdrawal problems, hence the need for more effective antidepressants which improve, not exacerbate, sleep disturbance. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-080628201 A
Classmark	ENR: CTS: CG: LO: LLD
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.