Abstract
DEPRESSIVE disorders are conditions whose high prevalence 1,2 and frequent need for medical intervention 3 require increased understanding in the general medical community. Antidepressants are prescribed with increasing frequency by a wide range of medical practitioners and a recent listing of the most prescribed drugs included seven antidepressants. 4 Data from an ongoing National Institute of Mental Health epidemiologic study, 2 using diagnostic criteria from DSM-III , 5 indicate that in the general population there is a six-month prevalence of depressive disorders (bipolar and unipolar) of about 5%. Furthermore, over 75% of persons with recent depressive disorders have sought medical treatment of some type in the last six months and nearly half of all mental health—related visits made by depressed individuals are to general medical practitioners. 3 These figures constitute a compelling reason for all physicians to be familiar with the typology of depressive disorders. In psychiatry, as in all fields
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
