ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2007
Qualitative study of depression management in primary care: GP and patient goals, and the value of listening.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Experiences of treatment-resistant mental health conditions in primary care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC primary care · 2022Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to GP-patient communication about emotional concerns in UK primary care: a systematic review.Family practice · 2020Pooled it
- How patients understand depression associated with chronic physical disease--a systematic review.BMC family practice · 2012Pooled 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
- Trial
- AI-Assisted Decision-Making for End-Stage Organ Failure: Opportunities and Ethical Concerns.Artificial organs · 2026Review
- 'We're all doing different things' - exploring primary care practitioners' perspectives of managing distress: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Role of primary care in depression relapse: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- What do you expect from psychological care? A qualitative study of depressed patients' expectations treated in mental healthcare settings.Research in psychotherapy (Milano) · 2025Article
- Beyond the medical file: A scoping review on patients' perspectives on depression treatment in primary care.PloS one · 2025Article
- Person-centered care for common mental disorders in Ontario's primary care patient-centered medical homes: a qualitative study of provider perspectives.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Pharmaceuticalization and Care Coordination in New York City Outpatient Mental Health.Medical anthropology · 2024Article
- Article
- Parents' expectations and experiences of the 6-week baby check: a qualitative study in primary care.BJGP open · 2020Article
- Patients' experiences of seeking help for emotional concerns in primary care: doctor as drug, detective and collaborator.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- "Every structure we're taught goes out the window": General practitioners' experiences of providing help for patients with emotional concerns'.Health & social care in the community · 2020Article
- Article
- The Management of Depressed Patients by the Tunisian General Practitioners: A Critical Trans-sectional Study.Community mental health journal · 2019Article
- Article
- 'You feel like your whole world is caving in': A qualitative study of primary care patients' conceptualisations of emotional distress.Health (London, England : 1997) · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGuidelines for depression management have been developed but little is known about GP and patient goals, which are likely to influence treatment offers, uptake, and adherence.
aimTo identify issues of importance to GPs, patients, and patients' supporters regarding depression management. GP and patient goals for depression management became a focus of the study. DESIGN OF STUDY: Grounded theory-based qualitative study.
settingGPs were drawn from 28 practices. The majority of patients and supporters were recruited from 10 of these practices.
methodSixty-one patients (28 depressed, 18 previously depressed, 15 never depressed), 18 supporters, and 32 GPs were interviewed.
resultsGPs described encouraging patients to view depression as separate from the self and 'normal' sadness. Patients and supporters often questioned such boundaries, rejecting the notion of a medical cure and emphasising self-management. The majority of participants who were considering depression-management strategies wanted to 'get out' of their depression. However, a quarter did not see this as immediately relevant or achievable. They focused on getting by from day to day, which had the potential to clash with GP priorities. GP frustration and uncertainty could occur when depression was resistant to cure. Participants identified the importance of GPs listening to patients, but often felt that this did not happen.
conclusionPhysicians need greater awareness of the extent to which their goals for the management of depression are perceived as relevant or achievable by patients. Future research should explore methods of negotiating agreed strategies for management.
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