Integrated Management of Depression in the Elderly. Edited by Carolyn A. Chew-Graham, Robert Baldwin & Alistair Burns Cambridge University Press, 2008, £29.99 pb, 198 pp. ISBN 978-0-521-68980-9

This book offers a rare blend of academic studies and clinical experience. As depression in the elderly is undertreated and certainly underdetected, this publication becomes an essential resource to lessen the detrimental impact of depression on the outcome of care for physical and psychiatric disorders in this patient group. The authors manage to make us think of depression as an illness that could be successfully treated in primary care. This could be achieved in an integrated model that would bring specialist knowledge to primary care as well as ensuring that individuals with complex cases of depression will have easy access to secondary care expertise.

The opening chapter gives a well-studied and summarised overview of epidemiology, aetiology and diagnosis of depression in late-life with a beautifully described account of the same issues in ethnic minority groups. There is more about the stepped care approach to the management of depression in the second chapter, supported in the third chapter with a number of case studies that practically demonstrate the experiences of some practitioners with this approach. The authors continue to use clinical cases to illustrate the use of an ‘integrated approach’ in the management of individuals with depression with psychiatric and physical comorbidity. Chapter six is one of the best chapters in the book, giving a wide-ranging but easily digestible account of practical available resources for practitioners.

The book gives a comprehensive and enjoyable summary about depression screening tools for the elderly. The authors provide a road map to find out many resources for the treatment of depression: official sites, voluntary organisations, patient education materials and self-help materials. There is a very brief description of some legal concepts, but that turns to be diluted and insufficient. The management of depression in many countries around the world is outlined in an appendix.

I believe that the authors have enriched our resources by producing this extremely useful book that should be made easily available to all primary care practitioners and psychiatrists who are interested in making an impact on the treatment of depression in the elderly.