The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7448 p449
21 April 2007

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Pharmacists can help fill gaps in care for patients with depression

There are considerable gaps in the care provided for people with depression, which could be addressed by improvements to the GP contract, according to a report published by mental health charities Depression Alliance and SANE to coincide with depression awareness week.

Carol Paton, chief pharmacist at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, who provided advice and guidance during development of the report, told The Journal that several of the issues identified are also relevant for pharmacists.

“There is a huge amount that pharmacists can do to help patients with depression. The most obvious help that pharmacists can provide is around the management of antidepressant drugs. Pharmacists can make sure that patients who are collecting their first prescription for antidepressants are aware that there will be a time lag before their symptoms begin to respond and that the outcome from treatment will be improved if medication is continued for six months after symptoms have resolved.”

She added that pharmacists have a valuable role in signposting patients to local charities and voluntary sector organisations. They could also help by being aware of the association between depression and chronic physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. “Pharmacists should be vigilant to the signs of depression in these patients and encourage them to speak to their GP so that the condition can be diagnosed and treated.”

The report “Now we’re talking!” (PDF 610K) details results from a survey of 450 people with depression. It says that many inadequacies in the diagnosis and management of depression were identified during the survey, especially in ongoing care. The report recommends the inclusion of quality and outcomes framework indicators that encourage GPs to look for depression in patients with co-morbidities, to take account of the broad range of psychological and somatic symptoms associated with depression when considering a diagnosis, to involve patients when making treatment decisions, to identify, manage and provide ongoing care, and to provide information to support adherence to treatment.