Counselor / Addiction

Treatment of Depression in Older Adults: Evidence-Based Practices

1.00 - CE credit hours training

$6.25 - Cost of course

This page contains important information about the course, including training details, a comprehensive course description, learning objectives, and source references. We encourage you to review each section to gain a clear understanding of the course content, educational goals, and supporting materials before beginning your training and taking the POST TEST below.

Target audience and instructional level of this course: foundational
There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support related to this CE program.

Treatment of Depression in Older Adults: Evidence-Based Practices

Follow the link below, read the material and then take the 6 question post test

Read the Course Material:
Treatment of Depression in Older Adults: Evidence-Based Practices

6 Questions

1. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2002) recommends depression screening in all health care settings.
2. Which of the following is cited as a reason why depression is often under-recognized and undertreated in older adults:
3. It is recommended that clinicians gauge older adults' depression treatment preferences using shared decision-making approaches. One challenge with using this approach is that some older adults are hesitant to engage in such shared decision-making.
4. Cognitive problems in older adults can be a symptom of:
5. It is estimated that about ________ of older adults with a mental disorder receive treatment.
6. Which best characterizes the issue of suicide amongst older adults?
This course is aimed at practitioners who wish to deepen their knowledge of treatment of depression in older adults using evidence-based practices. Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, it is estimated that 5% of adults suffer from the disorder. It is characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities. It can also disturb sleep and appetite. Tiredness and poor concentration are common, and its effects can be long-lasting or recurrent, thus dramatically affecting a person's ability to function and live a rewarding life.

This course describes how practitioners seeing older adults can screen for depression, assess and diagnose depression, select an appropriate treatment, deliver care and evaluate outcomes. It also describes how practitioners can participate in implementing evidence-based practices (EBP's). Treatments that have been labeled as EBP differ from other treatments in that they have been rigorously evaluated by scientists to determine that they reduce the symptoms of depression more than usual care.
  • Identify approaches for screening, assessing, and diagnosing depression in older adults.
  • Describe approaches for selecting appropriate treatment for older adults with depression.
  • Summarize evidence-based care for older adults with depression.
Pamela Fischer, Ph.D.,
Government Project Officer
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration