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Depression in General Practice:

Clinical Features and Comparison with Out-Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

L. I. Sireling ,
P. Freeling ,
E. S. Paykel ,
B. M. Rao  and
S. P. Patel
L. I. Sireling
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE
P. Freeling
Affiliation:
Sub-Department of General Practice, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE
E. S. Paykel*
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE
B. M. Rao
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE
S. P. Patel
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Social Medicine, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE
*
∗ Correspondence.
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Summary

General practice (GP) depressives prescribed an antidepressant were compared with those given other treatment, and with antidepressant-treated psychiatric out-patient depressives. GP depressives were considerably less severely ill than out-patients, with fewer depressive symptoms and shorter illness, as well as less primary and less endogenous depression. The two groups of GP depressives differed less, but those receiving other treatment tended to have less severe depression than those receiving antidepressants and were less likely to satisfy diagnostic criteria for depression. Depressives in GP differ considerably in clinical characteristics from psychiatric out-patient depressives, and clinical features influence the GP's decision to treat with antidepressants.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 147 , Issue 2 , August 1985 , pp. 119 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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