Late-life depression is a common disorder, frequently causing devastating personal outcomes, and it is a major health hazard that imposes a significant burden on individuals, caregivers, and society. Compared with younger adults, older adults are less likely to experience remission, have twice the rate of completed suicides in the United States, have different symptom presentation profiles, and are less likely to receive guideline-concordant depression care. Older racial and ethnic minorities experience disparities in treatment outcomes and care. Although their depressive episodes are more persistent with fewer remissions over time, and they experience more functional impairments and disease burden, they are more likely to receive substandard depression care.
