Depression in Later Life: An Essential Guide

Psychologist Serani (Depression and Your Child) is a clinical expert on depression as well as a lifelong sufferer of the illness, and she brings a valuable mixture of experienced empathy and learned knowledge to this look at people over 65 with depression. She spends ample time unpacking the many terms necessary to her discussion, making heavy use of bullet-points and tables. The more technical information is balanced out by the case studies included at the end of each chapter, which illustrate anecdotally the different points in life at which depression can strike. Much of the book deals with navigating the various treatment options available, with an emphasis on individual agency. As empowering as this focus is, Serani could have given more consideration to patients’ economic concerns. In this vein, her later forays into particularly severe cases raise the question of how easily impoverished people could access and benefit from her advice. On the whole, though, the book succeeds at addressing the needs of a rapidly increasing, but too often invisible, population. (June)