Patients Reluctant to Confront Doctors Regarding Depression
Family doctors and other primary care physicians are often the first to learn that a patient is depressed, but these health care professionals are not able to detect every depression case that walks in and out of their office.
In a new survey released this week funded by The National Institute of Mental Health, 43 percent of California adults keep their depression symptoms to themselves during a doctors appointment. According to the survey, the major concerns with talking to a doctor was that the patients did not want to be prescribed antidepressants, they feel it is too emotional to bring up in a routine check up, and the fear that it will not be kept confidential.
However, the longer that depression goes undiscovered, the harder it is to treat, and the more permanent the damage can become, the study says.
Researchers also highlight the need for doctors and nurses to become more aware of patients' mood and behavior and ask about any emotional or mood problems the patient may be facing. Doctors should also be picking up on signs of depression in symtoms such as poor sleep and diet habits, chronic pain, and other medicines the individual is taking.
Other common causes of depression include warmer weather, thyroid disease, lack of fish in a diet, and birth control pills.
The findings were based on interviews with 1,054 California adults who were asked about their beliefs on depression and health care.
Richard Kravitz, M.D., a professor of internal medicine at the University of California, Davis, and his colleagues are also taking a stand against depression by creating a public service announcement geared toward high risk demographic groups.