Evidence-Based Treatment for Depression in the Elderly
PEARLS for Older Adults was designed to treat minor depression and dysthymic disorder in adults aged sixty and older. Older adults are less likely than younger adults to have major depression but have comparable rates of the less severe depressive disorders, minor depression and dysthymia. Overall, depression is the most common mental health problem among older adults.
Older adults are less likely than younger adults to have major depression but have comparable rates of the less severe depressive disorders, minor depression and dysthymia.
Between 1999 and 2003, University of Washington investigators at the Health Promotion Research Center and community-based service providers conducted a randomized controlled trial funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test the effectiveness of the PEARLS Program in older adults living in the community. Individuals in this study were relatively homebound and had an average of five chronic medical conditions. Those who were treated with the PEARLS Program were three times as likely to experience a reduction in their depressive symptoms as those who were not treated with the PEARLS Program.