title: Food for thought: understanding the value, variety and usage of management algorithms for major depressive disorder.
abstract: By 2020, depression is projected to be among the most important contributors to the global burden of disease. A plethora of data confirms that despite the availability of effective therapies, major depressive disorder continues to exact an enormous toll; this, in part, is due to difficulties reaching complete remission, as well as the specific associated costs of both the disorder's morbidity and mortality. The negative effects of depression include those on patients' occupational functioning, including absenteeism, presenteeism, and reduced opportunities for educational and work success. The use of management algorithms has been shown to improve treatment outcomes in major depressive disorder and may be less costly than "usual care" practices. Nevertheless, many patients with depression remain untreated. As well, even those who are treated often continue to experience suboptimal quality of life. As such, the treatment algorithms in this article may improve outcomes for patients suffering with depression. This paper introduces some of the principal reasons underlying these treatment gaps and examines measures or recommendations that might be changed or strengthened in future practice guidelines to bridge them.
authors.affiliation: START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Toronto, ON, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Adler Graduate Professional School, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: mkatzman@startclinic.ca.
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Katzman
authors.affiliation: START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furtado
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Chokka Center for Integrative Health, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Pratap
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chokka
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012074:Remission Induction; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Algorithms; Depression; Guidelines; Management