Clinical application of operationalized criteria for 'Depression of Alzheimer's Disease'

Objectives: 'Depression of Alzheimer's Disease' (dAD) is a common complication of Alzheimer's disease and is increasingly recognized as a syndrome with a clinical presentation differing from major depression. Criteria for the diagnosis of dAD have been proposed previously. Methods: This paper presents these criteria in operationalized format designed to be accessible for clinical use. Four cases are discussed that demonstrate the use of these criteria and illustrate important differences between dAD and major depression. Results: The daD criteria are broader than DSM-IV criteria for Major Depressive Episode and incorporate caregiver input. Conclusions: Given the differences between dAD and major depression diagnoses, it is important to assess the efficacy of treatments for dAD. Depression in Alzheimer's Disease-2 (DIADS-2) is a controlled trial of dAD treatments that will also assess the validity of these criteria.