Title: Primary Care Doctors: Treat or Refer Depressed Patients?
Headings: Primary Care Doctors: Treat or Refer Depressed Patients?
Primary Care Doctors: Treat or Refer Depressed Patients?
Introduction

Content: In fact, once identified, most patients are treated in general medical offices rather than mental health centers. Studies indicate that patients, particularly members of racial or ethnic minorities, prefer it this way. Part of the problem is lingering stigma -- nobody knows that you are seeking treatment for a psychiatric illness when you enter a primary care office, Shim notes. Care is also more accessible; it can be harder to get into the mental healthcare system, especially if you're underinsured or uninsured. Many psychiatrists also prefer that primary care physicians oversee treatment of mild-to-moderate depression -- and anxiety, for that matter. " We need primary care physicians to treat people with less severe illness so we can focus on people who have more complex conditions," Shim remarks. " That improves access for everybody, because right now, you have to wait a long time to see a psychiatrist, particularly in public settings." According to Shim, screening is best accomplished with the brief 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Patients are asked how often they experience certain problems, such as lack of interest in activities, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate, and thoughts about death.