Via practica 10/2009
Depressive disorders in general practitioners practice – part I.
Depression is a serious psychiatric illness, which effects from 10 to 15 % of the population during their lifetime. The existence and manifestation of this socio-economic serious illness can be attributed to a combination of various factors. In the developed countries of Europe patients suffering from depression visit their general practitioners five times more often compared to psychiatrists. 40 % of patients, who commit suicide visit their GP within 4 weeks before of doing so.
Keywords: depression, classification of depressive illnesses, non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapy, pharmacotherapy stages of depression, suitable medicine alternative
