Diagnosis of depression in general practice

Depression is well recognized as a public health problem that usually runs the risk of becoming chronic, disabling and life threatening if left untreated. Unfortunately depression remains largely under diagnosed in primary care although more than one in ten cases seen in primary care suffers from this condition. Primary care physicians are strategically placed to detect and treat depression early and thus contribute in secondary prevention of this disorder. This article highlights the problems in diagnosis, the ways depressed patients present to the clinicians, the diagnostic criteria, the detailed interview techniques to arrive at a diagnosis of depression. The article also offers an outline of management of depression in primary care.