Management of depression in the elderly by general practitioners: II. Attitudes to ageing and factors affecting practice.

Although general practitioners (GPs) may be able to identify depression in elderly patients many patients do remain untreated. It is possible that negative attitudes could influence treatment. This study aims to investigate GPs' attitudes towards depression in the elderly. A national questionnaire study on the management of depression in the elderly was carried out. It enquired about attitudes towards treatment and diagnosis of depression and ageing and depression. Most GPs were confident about treating depression but agreed that it was difficult to treat and said that they would benefit from more information and training. A small proportion of the sample agreed that depression was a natural consequence of ageing and that most people when elderly get depressed. Older GPs were more likely to see depression as more difficult to treat and stopped medication sooner after recovery. Female GPs felt less confident in management and expressed more interest in further training although this did not appear to reflect the quality of care. In general GPs did not have negative views about depression and ageing; they did, however, identify a need for more training in the management of depression in the elderly.