Addressing disparities in diagnosing and treating depression: a promising role for continuing medical education

Depression is a very common reason that individuals seek treatment in the primary care setting. However, advances in depression management are often not integrated into care for ethnic and racial minorities. This supplement summarizes evidence in six key areas--current practices in diagnosis and treatment, disparities, treatment in managed care settings, quality improvement, physician learning, and community-based participatory research--used to develop an intervention concept described in the concluding article. Evidence of gaps in the care for minorities, while discouraging, presents unique opportunities for medical educators to develop interventions with the potential to change physician behavior and thereby reduce disparities and enhance patient outcomes.