Treatment of Dysthymia and Minor Depression in Primary Care

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Antidepressants and depression-specific psychotherapies are clearly effective for major depression.1 Treatments for major depression have been proved effective in both mental health specialty and primary care settings and in young and older adults.2-5 However, the effectiveness of treatments for less severe depressive disorders, particularly in older primary care patients with coexisting medical illnesses, is less certain.4 Recent literature syntheses concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend pharmacotherapy for minor depression. Evidence was also insufficient to recommend psychotherapy for either minor depression or dysthymia.4,6,7 This knowledge gap is particularly problematic because the prevalence of less severe depressive disorders exceeds that of major depression, leaving primary care clinicians without evidence-based treatment recommendations for the majority of their depressed patients.5,8,9

This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit: