Staying golden

Important research to treat depression in elderly

One’s golden years should be a period of peace and relaxation, but too many seniors struggle with depression and a related condition, dementia. The University of Pittsburgh is participating in a multicity study intended to bring more effective treatment to both. With the baby boomers aging, new insights can’t come quickly enough.

Depression in seniors can be resistant to treatment, perhaps because age is a factor in how the brain responds to medication. The OPTIMUM study, involving Pitt and four other sites, combines medication therapy and regular follow-up, such as phone calls or visits, to determine which drugs work best.

The study targets people 60 and older whose depression persists even though they’ve taken at least two medications over at least 12 weeks. Some participants will be prescribed a medication that’s new to them while others will take a medication in addition to what previously was prescribed. If symptoms remain after a test period, another medication regimen will be tried. The goal is to keep people from languishing on medications that don’t work for them and actively find a drug, or combination of drugs, that will work.

A related part of the study attempts to identify warning signs of dementia.

How many people the study might help is unclear, but one participant, Carol Wiercinski of Hermitage, said her progress has been “amazing to me, amazing to my friends.” That’s reason to hope that researchers are headed in the right direction.