Diagnosis and treatment of depression by general practitioners in England

This paper describes a preliminary study of diagnosis and treatment of depression by general practitioners in England. They regarded primary care depression as a reactive mood disorder with both physical and psychological symptoms and associated with those groups who are most vulnerable to life stressors. Four groups were seen as at risk from depression: elderly persons, menopausal women, young mothers, and those in early adulthood. The practitioners relied primarily on their experience to diagnose depression rather than following any official diagnostic criteria. Although they were in favour of nondrug therapy in treating depression, they mainly practised drug therapy due to time pressure and limited availability of resources.