Depression and anxiety: The first consultation with a depressed patient

+Print Archive
PRACTICE

Depression and anxiety: The first consultation with a depressed patient

Bruce Arroll

Bruce Arroll

Mental Health
GP consult

Primary care clinicians need to be confident that their talk interventions do make a difference to a patient’s distress; in most situations, a talk first and prescribe later approach allows the benefits of a non-drug approach to be assessed and acknowledged

Key points, Most depressed patients in primary care are in the lower levels of severity, where antidepressants probably are much less effective, or not at all eff