Research into depressive disorder in later life: Who is doing what? A literature search from 1998-2001

Aims and Background: The International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) aims to improve the mental health care of older people globally. With regard to depression, a number of key publications over the past decade have highlighted areas of progress and areas requiring further research. In order to help clarify what progress has been made, the author conducted a literature review of original research subsequent to three recent major reviews. Method: A literature search of four databases over the period 1998-October 2001. Publications with an abstract in English were studied to ascertain number of relevant publications; type of research methodology; topics; and where the research originated. Results: A total of 1,002 publications meeting predefined criteria were located. Fifty-nine percent were cross-sectional studies; less than 10% were randomized controlled studies. The most common themes were depression with comorbidity and etiology, accounting for almost half the papers, with stroke and Parkinson's disease the most frequently researched comorbid medical disorders, although interest in Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, hip fracture, and chronic lung disease appears to be increasing. There were comparatively few studies of psychological and psychosocial interventions. A quarter of the publications concerned major depressive disorder. There were striking variations in the origin of publications with two regions, North America and Northern Europe, accounting for two thirds of all publications but only 13.7% of the world's population aged 65 and over. Conclusions: Progress is being made but it might occur more rapidly and with greater scope with more international and cross-center collaboration.