The Quality of Inpatient Treatment of Elderly with Major Depression A German Indicator Project in Psychiatric Hospitals

Objective: There are highly effective treatments either in inpatient or day hospital settings available for elderly with major depression. It is important to consider some specific needs of elderly people (e.g. higher somatic comorbidities). Methods: On the base of a large routine data set (139307 patients in hospital treatment) differences between elderly and younger people with major depression are investigated. Results: Elderly with major depression receive significantly less day hospital treatment and psychotherapy. Surprisingly, the mean length of hospital stay was significantly longer in younger patients with major depression. Conclusion: The results from such routine data should be interpreted with caution. Never the less our results suggest that there is still room for improvement for elderly people with major depression.