A preliminary study to examine the adequacy of long-term treatment of depression and the extent of recovery in general practice.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 9196968.
- Also identified by PMC identifier PMC1312950.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
About 1% of patients in general practice take antidepressants for long periods. Many receive repeat prescriptions, without review. It might be assumed that these patients are well and are on adequate maintenance treatment. Our findings refute this assumption; of 78 patients on long-term repeats, only a third were in remission and a fifth had Beck Depression Inventory scores suggesting persisting syndromal major depression. Subtherapeutic dosing of classic tricyclics was the norm rather than the exception. Patients on long term antidepressant treatment need regular review and adequate treatment to ensure remission is maintained.