Depression in Alzheimer's disease

One of the most worrying issues of today's clinicians who work with the elderly is the distinction between depressive symptoms and other symptoms that may be signaling the beginning of a neurodegenerative deterioration, or a combination of the two. Because this question has yet to be resolved, the present work offers a necessary critical review of (1) the hypotheses and the influencing factors (e.g. biological, psychological, and environmental or social-cultural) that have been proposed to explain the appearance of depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer's Disease, (2) the epidemiological data that helps to contrast one syndrome and the other, (3) the characteristics that permit a differential diagnosis, and (4) the instruments of evaluation employed. It is crucial to establish international criteria and develop new tests to evaluate depression that are sufficient sensitive to the characteristics of this population due to the fact that as of yet there are no biological markers to aid clinicians of this population due to the fact as of yet there are no biological markers to aid clinicians in making such a distinction.