Depression in primary care. Why do we miss the diagnosis?

  • 1 January 1994
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 40, 104-8
Abstract
Depressed patients are often undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or underdiagnosed. Is this because family physicians are trained mainly to treat somatic complaints? Are patients reluctant to accept psychological causes for their physical symptoms? High volume of patients and short visits make it difficult for doctors to recognize depression. We propose strategies for identifying depressed patients in primary care.