Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychotherapy

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Absolute Geriatric Psychiatry Review

  • 633 Accesses

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the psychotherapy treatments for managing psychiatric disorders of older adults including individual, group, and couples therapy modalities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Further Reading

  • Agronin M. Group therapy in older adults. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2009;11:27–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alexopoulos GS, Raue PJ, Kiosses DK, et al. Problem solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction: effect on disability. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68:33–41.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arean PA, Hegel MT, Reynolds CF. Treatment of depression in older medical patients with psychotherapy. J Clin Geropsychol. 2001;7:93–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boylin W, Gordon SK, Nehrke MF. Reminiscing and ego integrity in institutionalized elderly males. The Gerontologist. 1976;16(2):118–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce ML, Ten Have TR, Reynolds CF 3rd, Katz II, Schulberg HC, Mulsant BH, et al. Reducing suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in depressed older primary care patients: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004;291(9):1081–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruer RA, Spitznagel E, Cloninger CR. The temporal limits of cognitive change from music therapy in elderly persons with dementia or dementia-like cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial. J Music Ther. 2007;44(4):308–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse among Older Adults; Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 26. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman SB, Weiner MF, Rackley A, Hynan LS, Zientz J. Effects of cognitive-communication stimulation for Alzheimer’s disease patients treated with donepezil. J Speech Language Hearing Res. 2004;47:1149–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi NG, Hegel MT, Marti N, et al. Telehealth problem-solving therapy for depressed low-income homebound older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014;22(3):263–71.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Choi NG, Marti CN, Conwell Y. Effect of problem-solving therapy on depressed low-income homebound older adults’ death/suicidal ideation and hopelessness. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2016;46(3):323–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cuijpers P, van Straten A, Smit F. Psychological treatment of late-life depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006;21(12):1139–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dakin EK, Areán P. Patient perspectives on the benefits of psychotherapy for late-life depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013;21(2):155–63. 3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dols A, Beekman A. Older age bipolar disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018;41(1):95–110.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Egede LE, Acierno R, Knapp RG, et al. Psychotherapy for depression in older veterans via telemedicine: a randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2015;2(8):693–701.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein S, Preston J. Marital therapy for the elderly. Can Med Assoc J. 1984;130(12):1551–3.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Goncalves DC, Byrne GJ. Interventions for generalized anxiety disorder in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Anxiety Disord. 2012;26(1):1–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gum A, Areán PA. Current status of psychotherapy for mental disorders in the elderly. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2004;6(1):32–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gum AM, Areán PA, Hunkeler E, Tang L, Katon W, Hitchcock P, et al. Depression treatment preferences in older primary care patients. The Gerontologist. 2006;46(1):14–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gustavson KA, Alexopoulos GS, Niu GC, McCulloch C, Meade T, Arean PA. Problem-solving therapy reduces suicidal ideation in depressed older adults with executive dysfunction. Am J Geriatr Psychiatr. 2016;24(1):11–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hendriks GJ, Oude Voshaar RC, Keijsers GP, Hoogduin CA, van Balkom AJ. Cognitive behavioural therapy for late-life anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008;117(6):403–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huang AX, Delucchi K, Dunn LB, Nelson JC. A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychotherapy for late-life depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016;23(3):261–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiosses DN, Alexopoulos GS. Problem-solving therapy in the elderly. Curr Treat Options Psychiatry. 2014;1(1):15–26.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kiosses DN, Leon AC, Arean PA. Psychosocial interventions for late-life major depression: evidence-based treatments, predictors of treatment outcomes, and moderators of treatment effects. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2011;34(2):377–401. viii

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Knight ZG. A proposed model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2017;24(5):1047–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuerbis A, Sacco P, Blazer DG, Moore SS. Substance abuse among older adults. Clin Geriatr Med. 2014;30:629–54.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch TR, Cheavens JS, Cukrowicz KC, Thorp SR, Bronner L, Beyer J. Treatment of older adults with co-morbid personality disorder and depression: a dialectical behavior therapy approach. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007;22(2):131–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miklowitz DJ. A review of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for bipolar disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(Suppl 11):28–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MD. Using interpersonal therapy (IPT) with older adults today and tomorrow: a review of the literature and new developments. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2008;10:16–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moran JA, Gatz M. Group therapies for nursing home adults: an evaluation of two treatment approaches. Gerontologist. 1987;27:588–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan AC. Psychodynamic psychotherapy with older adults. Psychiatr Serv. 2003;54:1592–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peisah C, Lawrence G, Reutens S. Creative solutions for severe dementia with BPSD: a case of art therapy used in an inpatient and residential care setting. Int Psychogeriatr. 2011;23(6):1011–3.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pinquart M, Duberstein PR, Lyness JM. Treatments for later-life depressive conditions: a meta-analytic comparison of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Am J Psychiatry. 2006;163(9):1493–501.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raue PJ, Schulberg HC, Heo M, Klimstra S, Bruce ML. Patients’ depression treatment preferences and initiation, adherence, and outcome: a randomized primary care study. Psychiatr Serv. 2009;60(3):337–43. 2

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Raue PJ, McGovern AR, Kiosses DN, Sirey JA. Advances in psychotherapy for depressed older adults. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017;19(9):57.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schroeck JL, Ford J, Conway EL, Kurtzhalts KE, Gee ME, Vollmer KA, Mergenhagen KA. Review of safety and efficacy of sleep medicines in older adults. Clin Ther. 2016;38(11):2340–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz K. Remembering the forgotten: psychotherapy groups for the nursing home resident. Int J Group Psychother. 2007;57:491–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shear K, Wang Y, Skritskaya N, Duan N, Mauro C, Ghesquiere A. Treatment of complicated grief in elderly persons: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiat. 2014;71:1287–95.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simon NM. Treating complicated grief. JAMA. 2013;310:416–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi RK, Tiwari SC. Psychotherapeutic approaches in the management of elderlies with dementia: an overview. Delhi Psychiatry J. 2009;12(1):31–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Unützer J, Katon W, Callahan CM, et al. Collaborative care management of late-life depression in the primary care setting: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288(22):2836–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woods B, Spector A, Jones C, Orrell M, Davies S. Reminiscence therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;2:CD001120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu LT, Blazer DG. Illicit and nonmedical drug use among older adults: a review. J Aging Health. 2011;23(3):481–504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Laurel J. Bessey

Authors
  1. Laurel J. Bessey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laurel J. Bessey .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Rajesh Tampi

  2. Behavioral Health Advisory Group, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Deena Tampi

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Juan Young

  4. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Rakin Hoq

  5. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron, OH, USA

    Kyle Resnick

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Bessey, L.J. (2021). Psychotherapy. In: Tampi, R., Tampi, D., Young, J., Hoq, R., Resnick, K. (eds) Absolute Geriatric Psychiatry Review. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58663-8_36

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58663-8_36

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58662-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58663-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation