Critique of the guidelines for the treatment of depression: flaws in the construction.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the likely utility of the recently published Australian and New Zealand clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression.


METHODS
The guidelines are critiqued for their intrinsic logic and their success in extracting potentially valid and useful management templates.


RESULTS
This paper provides examples of key limitations to many specific interpretations and conclusions.


CONCLUSIONS
It is argued that these guidelines are far less precise and informative for clinical practice than they appear and with a disturbing lack of rigour for a document promulgated by a professional college.
Parker
Gordon
G
University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia. g.parker@unsw.edu.au
D001315:Australia; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*