ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2005
GP treatment decisions for patients with depression: an observational study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Assessing depression severity using the UK Quality and Outcomes Framework depression indicators: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2013Pooled it
- Managing depression in primary care: A meta-synthesis of qualitative and quantitative research from the UK to identify barriers and facilitators.BMC family practice · 2011Pooled it
- Patient-reported outcome measures for monitoring primary care patients with depression: the PROMDEP cluster RCT and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Trial
- Controlled trial of the impact of a BC adult mental health practice support program (AMHPSP) on primary health care professionals' management of depression.BMC family practice · 2018Trial
- Patient-reported outcome measures for monitoring primary care patients with depression: PROMDEP feasibility randomised trial.BMJ open · 2017Trial
- Prescribing ANtiDepressants Appropriately (PANDA): a cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care.BMC family practice · 2013Trial
- Deciding who gets treatment for depression and anxiety: a study of consecutive GP attenders.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2005Trial
- Care pathways for people with major depressive disorder: a European Brain Council Value of Treatment study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2022Article
- Identifying patients with psychosocial problems in general practice: A scoping review.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Identifying patients with psychosocial problems in general practice: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Long-term antidepressant use in general practice: a qualitative study of GPs' views on discontinuation.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
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- Can the Use of Bayesian Analysis Methods Correct for Incompleteness in Electronic Health Records Diagnosis Data? Development of a Novel Method Using Simulated and Real-Life Clinical Data.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
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- Can Collaborative Care Cure the Mediocrity of Usual Care for Common Mental Disorders?Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2018Article
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- Socio-economic characteristics, living conditions and diet quality are associated with food insecurity in France.Public health nutrition · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGPs are prescribing more antidepressants than previously, but not in accordance with guidelines. The reasons why they prescribe are not well understood.
aimTo explore associations between GP treatment and severity of depression, patients' life difficulties, previous history of illness and treatment, and patient attitudes.
designObservational study in two phases, 3 years apart.
settingSeven practices in Southampton, UK.
methodAdult attenders who consented were screened for depression in the waiting room. After the consultation, the 17 participating GPs completed questionnaires on the perceived presence and severity of depression, patients' life difficulties, previous problems and treatment, patient attitudes towards antidepressants, and their treatment decisions. Patients returned postal questionnaires on sociodemographics, life events, physical health, and attitudes towards antidepressants.
resultsOf 694 patients screened in the two phases, the GPs rated 101 (15%) as depressed, acknowledged depression in 44 cases (6%), and offered treatment in 27 (4%), including antidepressants in 14 (2%). Offers of antidepressants were more likely in both phases where the GPs rated the depression as moderate rather than mild, and where they perceived a positive patient attitude to antidepressants. However, GP ratings of severity did not agree well with the validated screening instrument, and their assessments of patients' attitudes to treatment were only moderately related to patients' self-reports.
conclusionsIn line with current guidelines, GPs base prescribing decisions on the perceived severity of depression, taking patients' preferences into account, but they do not accurately identify which patients are likely to benefit from treatment. Better ways to assess depression severity and patient attitudes towards antidepressants are needed in order to target treatment more appropriately.
Indexed as
Identifiers
15826435PMC1463130What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.