Case Management and Problem Solving Therapy for Depressed, Homebound, Low-Income Elders

The premise of PST is that psychotherapies implicitly help people to become better managers of their lives, in effect, to become better at solving problems. Unlike Case Management (CM) that seeks to increase its clients' availability and utilization of resources, PST focuses on the patients themselves and helps them develop skills in identifying, prioritizing, and solving problems, and thereby creates a sense of empowerment. Although CM and PST have different theoretical premises, they both focus on the resolution of concrete problems promoting depression.

Different types of CM exist, but all share the theme of helping individuals cope with their illnesses through linkage to social services, advocacy, rehabilitation, and ongoing support during recovery from illnesses. CM will consist of the following components: 1) socialization to treatment; 2) needs assessment; 3) psychoeducation about depression; 4) service planning; 5) linkage to social services; 6) help with access to health care; 7) advocacy; and 8) exploration of barriers that perpetuate unmet needs.