Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Service use and outcomes among elderly persons with low incomes being treated for depression.
Older adults with low incomes rarely use mental health care, and untreated depression is a serious problem in this population. This study examined whether a collaborative care model for depression in primary care would increase use of depression treatment and treatment outcomes for low-income elderly adults as well as for higher-income older adults. ⋯ Lower-income older adults can experience benefits from collaborative management of depression in primary care similar to those of higher-income older adults, although they may require up to a year to reap physical health benefits.