Clinical depression is one of the most common and treatable psychiatric disorders in older adults but tends to be underrecognised and undertreated, leading to impaired functioning, greater service utilisation and increased morbidity and mortality including suicide. Depression in elderly represents a heterogenous group of mood disturbances and often occur in a complex medical psychosocial context. Screening for depression is important especially for high risk populations such as those with chronic debilitating illnesses or major physical illnesses, the recently bereaved and the socially isolated. Screening relies predominantly on the assessment of depressive symptoms as there are few, if any, reliable signs or biological markers for depression. Milder cases of depression can be successfully treated at primary care level with appropriate pharmacological, psychological and social interventions.