2019/04/08 by Erin Ferenchick, Parashar Ramanuj, Harold Alan Pincus · 2 citations
Psychology · #Mental Health Treatment and Access #Suicide and Self-Harm Studies #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
paper · pdf · doi:10.1136/bmj.l794
openalex publication_date 2019/04/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Depression is a common and heterogeneous condition with a chronic and recurrent natural course that is frequently seen in the primary care setting. Primary care providers play a central role in managing depression and concurrent physical comorbidities, and they face challenges in diagnosing and treating the condition. In this two part series, we review the evidence available to help to guide primary care providers and practices to recognize and manage depression. In this first of two reviews, we outline an approach to screening and diagnosing depression in primary care that evaluates current evidence based guidelines and applies the recommendations to clinical practice. The second review presents an evidence based approach to the treatment of depression in primary care, detailing the recommended lifestyle, drug, and psychological interventions at the individual level. It also highlights strategies that are being adopted at an organizational level to manage depression more effectively in primary care.