Pharmacological treatment of late-life major depressive disorder - Results from the AMSP drug surveillance…

StudyJournal of affective disorders· Jul 2026

Pharmacological treatment of late-life major depressive disorder - Results from the AMSP drug surveillance program from 2007 to 2023.

Martin Schulze Westhoff, Sermin Toto, Stefan Bleich … Johanna Seifert

GeriatricsStudyClinical practiceQ1IF 6.0

Psychotic depression is more common in older inpatients with major depression.

Pharmacological treatment of late-life major depressive disorder - Results from the AMSP drug surveillance program from 2007 to 2023.

Martin Schulze Westhoff … Johanna Seifert

Journal of affective disorders · Jul 2026

Background

Late-life depression (late-life depression) is a frequent and debilitating condition associated with higher somatic comorbidity and increased medication burden.

Methods

Data were obtained from the "Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie" (AMSP) drug surveillance program, covering reference-day surveys from psychiatric hospitals in Germany and Austria between 2007 and 2023.

n = 25,881 inpatients

Results

psychotic depression is more common in older inpatients than younger ones

RR 1.86 (95% CI 1.70 to 2.03)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Among 25,881 inpatients with major depressive disorder, 5297 (20.4%) were aged >64 years.

Antidepressants were used in the treatment of 89.6% of older and 84.1% of younger patients.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Pharmacological treatment of late-life depression was characterized by greater use of antipsychotic, tranquilizing and hypnotic drugs, and more complex combination therapies.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

These findings underscore the need for individualized prescribing, vigilant monitoring, and deprescribing strategies to enhance drug safety in inpatients with late-life depression.

Pharmacological treatment of late-life major depressive disorder - Results from the AMSP drug surveillance program from 2007 to 2023.

Pharmacological treatment of late-life major depressive disorder - Results from the AMSP drug surveillance program from 2007 to 2023.

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