Table 2.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria and characteristics of participants from included studies

Inclusion and study characteristics	Exclusion
Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder according to DSM and/or achieving a pre-specified rating on a depression scale	Treatment-resistant depression
Moderate to severe depression based on standard clinical measures of depression (e.g., HDRS, MARS)	Complex depressive disorders, such as bipolar disorder, depression with psychotic features, dysthymic disorder, neurotic depression, or minor depression
Age ≥ 65 years (only one study included patients ≥75 years old [21])	Comorbid alcohol disorders or substance abuse disorders
• Subject were mostly outpatients, although this was not always specified • One study enrolled only inpatients admitted under the care of a geriatrician or family physician [14]	Unstable medical conditions, although two studies allowed inclusion of patients with concomitant medical conditions. Fraguas studied patients with stable heart failure [15] and Evans included patients with other medical conditions, including dementia [14].
Not at risk of suicide	Four of nine studies specifically excluded subjects with dementia [16–18, 21]. The other five studies either did not explicitly state the exclusion of subjects with dementia or enrolled subjects with mild stage dementia [14, 15, 19, 20, 22].

DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, HDRS Hamilton Depression

Rating Scale; MARS Medical Administration Record Sheet