Depression in the general hospital

Depression in the general hospital is a challenging arena for nursing. Diagnosing depression tends to be difficult because of the overlapping somatic presentations of depression and medical illness. In working with this patient population, a thorough physical examination and diagnostic evaluation need to be completed to rule out pre-existing medical diseases and medications that could be inducing the depressive symptoms. Usually, medically ill patients are diagnosed with adjustment disorder with depressed mood that responds well to a combination of supportive psychotherapy and antidepressant therapy.