Resilience and mind-body interventions in late-life depression

Resilience has been defined as the ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity, acute stress, or trauma.1 Originally conceived as an inborn trait characteristic, resilience is now conceptualized as a dynamic, multidimensional capacity influenced by the interactions between internal factors (eg, personality, cognitive capacity, physical health) and environmental resources (eg, social status, financial stability).2,3 Resilience in older adults (typically defined as age ≥65) can improve the prognosis and outcomes for physical and mental conditions.4 The construct is closely aligned with “successful aging” and can be fostered in older adults, leading to improved physical and mental health and well-being.5 While initially resilience was conceptualized as the opposite of depressive states, recent research has identified resilience in the context of major depressive disorder (MDD) as the net effects of various psychosocial and biological variables that decrease the risk of onset, relapse, or depressive illness severity and increase the probability or speed of recovery.6 Late-life depression (LLD) in adults age >65 is a common and debilitating disease, often leading to decreased psychological well-being, increased cognitive decline, and excess mortality.7,8 LLD is associated with several factors, such as cerebrovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and inflammation, all of which could contribute to T H I R D O F 4 P A R T S Resilience and mind-body interventions in late-life depression