Study reveals frequent non-guideline treatment of late-life depression

Possible errors in treatment of depression -


A new study documenting the treatment of late-life depression by Canadian health professionals will be presented today at the
American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. The study is the first to assess whether people diagnosed
with late-life depression receive 'guideline concordant pharmacotherapy'--medication recommended in guidelines issued by the
Canadian Psychiatric Association.


The research, conducted by Dr. Maida Sewitch at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal and funded by the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), followed the initial medication dispensed to over 5258 Quebec seniors,
immediately following diagnosis of depression.


Almost all the seniors studied (84%) were given some form of medication, but incredibly only slightly more than half (55%)
were given the recommended first-line antidepressants according to the Canadian Psychiatric Association. "The rest (45%) were
given other drugs, some of which are known to be unhelpful for depression, especially in the elderly," explains Dr. Sewitch.



One medication--a group of psychotropic drugs known as benzodiazepines--was dispensed to nearly 2000 of the study's late-life
depression patients. "There is evidence to suggest that this group of drugs may worsen depression or result in cognitive
problems and falls in the elderly," says Dr. Sewitch.


The study also suggests that men--commonly diagnosed by psychiatrists in hospital settings--are more likely to receive
guideline concordant medication than women--commonly diagnosed by general practitioners in out-patient settings. "These
results highlight possible worrisome errors in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression," says Dr. Sewitch.
"Further research is required in order to unravel the complexities."


About the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC)


The Research Institute of the MUHC is a world world-renowned biomedical and health-care hospital research centre. Located in
Montreal, Quebec, the institute is the research arm of the MUHC, a university health center affiliated with the Faculty of
Medicine at McGill University. The institute supports over 500 researchers, nearly 1000 graduate and post-doctoral students
and operates more than 300 laboratories devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental and clinical research. The Research
Institute operates at the forefront of knowledge, innovation and technology and is inextricably linked to the clinical
programs of the MUHC, ensuring that patients benefit directly from the latest research-based knowledge. For further details
visit: muhc.ca/research.


About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)


The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation
for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching hospitals affiliated with
the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University--the Montreal Children's, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal
Neurological Hospitals, as well as the Montreal Chest Institute. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the
founding hospitals, the goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care
field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge.


Contact: Ian Popple

ian.popplemuhc.mcgill.ca

514-843-1560

McGill University

mcgill.ca