title: Optimizing the management of depression: primary care experience.
abstract: This article is intended to identify some of the most important challenges faced by family physicians when treating MDD and to provide practical solutions. Key issues, reviewed from a primary care view point will include: treating to remission (and not just response), identification of high-risk groups, diagnosis, acute treatment approaches (including pharmacotherapy and the management of related side effects), the use of psychotherapy and somatic therapies, assessment of the adequacy of treatment including the assessment of remission, response measurement, optimal follow-up care throughout the phase of treatment, the key components of patient education and strategies for partial/limited response to the first-line antidepressant (switching, augmentation and combination strategies), how to provide support for improved treatment adherence, and approaches to prevent the recurrence of depressive episodes.
authors.affiliation: START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Toronto, ON, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. Electronic address: ccameron@startclinic.ca.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Habert
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
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents
keywords: Adherence; Antidepressants; Depressive disorders; MDD; Pharmacotherapy; Remission; Treatment