Collaborative care was coordinated by a case manager who assessed functional impairments relating to mood symptoms. Participants were offered behavioral activation and completed an average of six weekly sessions.
‘Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide, and one in seven older people meet criteria for depression.’
Collaborative care resulted in lower scores vs usual care at 4-month follow-up on measures of self-reported depression severity. The proportion of participants meeting criteria for depression were lower for collaborative care (17.2 percent) than usual care (23.5 percent) at 4-month follow-up, and at 12-month follow-up (15.7 percent vs 27.8 percent).
"Although differences persisted through 12 months, findings are limited by attrition, and further research is needed to assess longer-term efficacy," the authors write.
Source: Eurekalert
