[Depression--a serious, lifelong but treatable illness]

The prevalence of depressive disorders appears to be on the increase, and age at onset to be successively declining. In most cases, it is a question of a lifelong disorder with recurrent episodes, which it has been estimated will occupy 20 per cent of the patient's remaining lifespan. As a group, patients with depressive disorders are characterised by high mortality (even if suicide cases are excluded) on a par with the rates for cancer, diabetes and ischaemic heart disease: they often have somatic disorders, and are high consumers of pharmaceutical drugs of all categories. Modern classification systems with well defined criteria for the depressive disorders and new drugs have facilitated treatment. Studies have shown that increased knowledge among GPs of the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders can have a pronounced effect on the level of public health.