There is a growing literature on vascular depression. The hypothesis is that heart/vascular disease is one of the primary contributors to depression throughout the lifespan, not only in late life. We often see heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity as co-morbidities in our clients. All of these conditions are implicated in elevated rates of depression. The mechanism thought to be at work is reduced blood flow and insufficient oxygen to the white matter of the brain resulting in atrophy and shrinkage particularly in the areas that regulate mood.
Editor’s note: This Ask the Expert was adapted from the course, ‘Detecting and Treating Depression in Older Adults'’ that is available in text, video and audio course formats.
Cathy Lysack, Ph.D., OT(C)
Dr. Lysack, Ph.D., OT(C) is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Gerontology and a Professor of Occupational Therapy and Gerontology at Wayne State University in Detroit. She joined the University in 1997. Dr. Lysack’s major research interest is in the social and environmental influences on health and understanding how older adults and people with disability redevelop active and meaningful lives in the community after injury. She has studied aging and depression, the independence and safety of older adults who live alone, the impact of spinal cord injury on community participation, and the reasons for and outcomes of residential moves in later life. Dr. Lysack’s research has been funded by the NIH, NIDRR, and the Retirement Research Foundation. She has served for many years on the editorial boards of AJOT, and the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. In 2007 Dr. Lysack was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Foundation's Academy of Research.
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