Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27537217›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2016

Psychological Treatment of Depression in People Aged 65 Years and Over: A Systematic Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Cost-Effectiveness.

Ulf Jonsson, Göran Bertilsson, Per Allard, Harald Gyllensvärd, Anne Söderlund, Anne Tham, Gerhard Andersson

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04714164 (Feasibility of Delivering Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults With Depression and Anxiety by Telehealth), which is not on this map. Cited by 37 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04714164 naterminatednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Feasibility of Delivering Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults With Depression and Anxiety by Telehealth

TypeinterventionalSponsorNova Scotia Health AuthorityRan2021 to 2023Enrolled5ConditionsMajor Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic DisorderArmsGroup Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.

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  13. Psychotherapy for older adults with depression: a narrative review.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Ulf JonssonDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Insurance Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Göran BertilssonSwedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Stockholm, Sweden.
Per AllardDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Harald GyllensvärdSwedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anne SöderlundSchool of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Physiotherapy, Mälardalen University, Mälardalen, Våsterås, Sweden.
Anne ThamDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Gerhard AnderssonDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Karolinska Institutet · SESwedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care · SEMälardalen University · SEUmeå University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesDepression in elderly people is a major public health concern. As response to antidepressants is often unsatisfactory in this age group, there is a need for evidence-based non-pharmacological treatment options. Our objectives were twofold: firstly, to synthesize published trials evaluating efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of psychological treatment of depression in the elderly and secondly, to assess the quality of evidence.

methodThe electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAL, Scopus, and PsycINFO were searched up to 23 May 2016 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological treatment for depressive disorders or depressive symptoms in people aged 65 years and over. Two reviewers independently assessed relevant studies for risk of bias. Where appropriate, the results were synthesized in meta-analyses. The quality of the evidence was graded according to GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation).

resultsTwenty-two relevant RCTs were identified, eight of which were excluded from the synthesis due to a high risk of bias. Of the remaining trials, six evaluated problem-solving therapy (PST), five evaluated other forms of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and three evaluated life review/reminiscence therapy. In frail elderly with depressive symptoms, the evidence supported the efficacy of PST, with large but heterogeneous effect sizes compared with treatment as usual. The results for life-review/reminiscence therapy and CBT were also promising, but because of the limited number of trials the quality of evidence was rated as very low. Safety data were not reported in any included trial. The only identified cost-effectiveness study estimated an incremental cost per additional point reduction in Beck Depression Inventory II score for CBT compared with talking control and treatment as usual.

conclusionPsychological treatment is a feasible option for frail elderly with depressive symptoms. However, important questions about efficacy, generalizability, safety and cost-effectiveness remain.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overCognitive Behavioral TherapyCost-Benefit AnalysisDepressionDepressive DisorderHumansPsychotherapy

Identifiers

PMID27537217
PMCPMC4990289
OpenAlexW2517760761

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.