General practitioners attitudes towards depression: a study in primary care setting in Brazil

A self-report instrument comprising twenty visual analogue scale statements about attitudes towards depression was sent to all 110 general practitioners working in primary health care centres in the city of Campinas, Brazil. The statements of the Depression Attitude Questionnaire (DAQ) cover three main areas: nature of depression, treatment preferences and professional reactions regarding depressed patients. Seventy-eight (71%) doctors returned the questionnaire. Forty-two percent of the doctors believe "it is difficult to differentiate whether patients are presenting with unhappiness or a clinical depressive disorder that needs treatment". Sixty-three percent believe that "antidepressants usually produce a satisfactory result in the treatment of depressed patients in general practice". However, most doctors would refer patients in need of anti-depressants (66%) or psychotherapy (60%) to a specialist. They also view the treatment of depression as "heavy going" (46%) and "unrewarding" (57%). These findings suggest a need for further education of general practitioners on the nature, diagnosis and management of depressive disorders.