[Depression in late life].

Depression in the elderly is one of the most important psychotic disorder as well as dementia. In this report, at first we described the relation between brain-organic disorder and depression in late life. It is very interesting that depression in late life has often comorbid process with vascular dementia and dementia of the Alzheimer type. In biological treatments for depression in late life, pharmacotherapy and modified electroconvulsive therapy are useful. We must be aware of the adverse side effects from the use of antidepressant, then SSRIs are selected for clinical depression of late life, because the SSRIs produce fewer side effects. Psychotherapeutic medication, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and reminiscence or life, review is useful for depression in late life.