David Casey, associate professor and senior vice chair in the UofL Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will present “Breaking Free from Depression: Depression in Older Adults” at Second Presbyterian Church, 3701 Old Brownsboro Road. Admission is free.
Casey’s presentation will help participants understand the role of depression in older adults and ways in which it can be treated. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the risk of depression in older adults increases with other illnesses and when the ability to function becomes limited.
Estimates of the incidence of depression in older people overall range from 1 to 5 percent, but that incidence rises to 11.5 percent in those who are hospitalized and to 13.5 percent in those who require home health care. Depression also is one of the conditions most commonly associated with suicide in older adults, particularly men.
At UofL, Casey is responsible for oversight of the clinical activities of the department. His interests include Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, geriatric depression, psychiatric education and the history of psychiatry. He is board certified in general psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry.
The UofL Depression Center is Kentuckiana’s leading resource for depression and bipolar disorder treatment, research and education.