Race and depression: Does race affect the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression?

While it is recognized that medical and neurological comorbities complicate the accurate diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, the possibility that patient race or even gender may affect management decisions is less discussed. This article reviews the current literature on racial differences in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, including recent studies on physician contribution to disparities. These studies suggests that physician bias, based simply on patient race, is not a likely explantion for diagnostic and treatment differences and that other factors may be involved. Suggestions for culturally-informed late-life depression assessment are included.