LOS ANGELES (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Depression can be debilitating for anyone, but it can be especially bad for the elderly, who have a six-times higher suicide rate. Most anti-depressants can take weeks or even months to kick in, in the elderly, but an old drug is now showing some promise in this area.

Bill Takahashi is an amateur gardener. But a year ago, even his beloved orchids weren't enough to keep this 83-year old from feeling irritable and depressed. "I was yelling at my wife more than normally," he says. "Like, if my eggs weren't turned over properly, I'd say, 'What kind of a cook are you?'" So, Takahashi's wife and daughter took him to UCLA geriatric psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky, M.D.

In the past, there was no quick fix for depression in seniors. "Normally, an individual who is with geriatric depression, late life depression, responds or shows some signs of improvement in depression after weeks to months of active treatment," Dr. Lavretsky tells Ivanhoe. She now uses low doses of Ritalin to kick-start the effects of anti-depressants in her patients.

"It may have been the placebo effect, but a couple days after taking Ritalin, I was really just happy as a lark," Dr. Takahashi says. She treated 21 elderly patients with Ritalin, along with their traditional anti-depressants. Many felt better in as little as 72 hours.

Dr. Lavretsky says, "It just adds to what other drugs don't provide. Another chemical that is responsible for a fast onset of action."

The energizing effects of Ritalin is short-lived. That's why Dr. Lavretsky combines the drug with anti-depressants. The hope is, by the time the Ritalin wears off, the effects of the other drugs may be in full bloom.

Because of the high suicide rate among the elderly, Dr. Lavretsky says it's important that depressed seniors get rapid treatment.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Helen Lavretsky, M.D.
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry
760 Westwood Plaza, Room 37-384
Box 175919