title: Critical issues in the management of depression. Based on a presentation by David Goodman, MD.
abstract: Primary care providers (PCPs) see patients with depression on a daily basis, but they frequently overlook signs and symptoms of this illness because they are looking for physical signs of illness. Even when they identify the symptoms of depressive illness in a patient, they are constrained by the fear of stigmatizing the patient. The general public is either unaware of the active symptoms of depression or they view them as a sign of weakness or a natural part of aging. Ineffective treatment of depression is expensive. Depressed patients use medical services 50% to 100% more frequently than those who are not depressed. By appropriately treating depression, PCPs can lower the unnecessary and ineffective utilization of medical services by depressed patients without increasing the cost of treating them.
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents