Physician and patient knowledge of depression among older adults

Using physicians (N = 52) from a large urban outpatient family medicine clinic, this study assessed physician level of knowledge of late life depression and the relationship between level of knowledge and knowledge of aging in general, contact with elderly patients and attitudes toward elderly individuals. Physician knowledge of depression in late life was also compared with the knowledge of a cross section of community-dwelling adults (N = 118).;Using the Facts on Aging Quiz to assess knowledge of aging, the Quiz on Depression and Suicide in Later Life to assess knowledge of depression, and the Aging Semantic Differential Scale to assess attitudes, results indicated that physicians in general were quite knowledgeable about depression among older individuals, significantly more so than the general population. Physician misconceptions of late life depression were associated with misconceptions of aging and inversely associated with quantity of contact with elderly patients, while physician knowledge of late life depression was associated with the self-rated quality of contact with elderly patients. Although physicians seem to be well aware of the difficulties associated with recognizing depression among older individuals, they also understand that treatment can be effective.;Implications of the results are presented for physician misconceptions of aging, patient care, and medical education.