title: Major depression in medically ill patients.
abstract: Major depression is one of the most common psychiatric problems complicating the treatment and prognosis of patients with active medical illness. Recognizing and treating major depressive conditions in this population can often be challenging, even for the most seasoned clinicians. This article reviews the medical and neurologic conditions that have been associated with the high prevalence rates of major depression. Highlights of the evaluation process that help confirm this suspected diagnosis are addressed, and management issues are discussed. Brief reviews of supportive psychotherapeutic tools that the clinician may find helpful are included, as well as current advances in pharmacologic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sutor
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rummans
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Jowsey
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Krahn
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Philbrick
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004194:Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents