---
title: "Psych News Alert: Seniors With Vascular Risk May Respond Less Well to Antidepressants"
description: If older depressed adults are treated with an antidepressant, the medication is less likely to benefit their workiing memory and executive f...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_oldman-4.gif
---

 7/25/12 12:00 AM

# Seniors With Vascular Risk May Respond Less Well to Antidepressants

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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If older depressed adults are treated with an antidepressant, the medication is less likely to benefit their workiing memory and executive function if they score high on vascular risk factors.

So reported Yvette Sheline, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Washington University, and colleagues in the August *American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.*

Having vascular disease or severe vascular risk factors may also explain why older individuals develop depression in the first place. To learn more about this subject, visit *[Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1212621).*

More information about late-life depression is available in the American Psychiatric Publishing book *[Essentials of Geriatric Psychiatry, Second Edition](http://www.appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemID=62413).*

(Image: Petr Nad/Shutterstock.com)

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