title: Major depression in primary care: making the diagnosis.
abstract: Major depression is a common condition seen in the primary care setting, often presenting with somatic symptoms. It is potentially a chronic illness with considerable morbidity, and a high rate of relapse and recurrence. Major depression has a bidirectional relationship with chronic diseases, and a strong association with increased age and coexisting mental illnesses (e.g. anxiety disorders). Screening can be performed using clinical tools for major depression, such as the Patient Health Questionaire-2, Patient Health Questionaire-9 and Beck Depression Inventory, so that timely treatment can be initiated. An accurate diagnosis of major depression and its severity is essential for prompt treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality. This is the first of a series of articles that illustrates the approach to the management of major depression in primary care. Our next articles will cover suicide risk assessment in a depressed patient and outline the basic principles of management and treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: SingHealth Polyclinics, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chung Wai Mark
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Care and Health Integration, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Choon How
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: How
authors.affiliation: Penang Medical College, Penang, Malaysia.|Penang Adventist Hospital, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Yin Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: major depression; primary care