Are antidepressant drugs overprescribed in primary care?
An investigation by a group of researchers of the University of Bologna would suggest that antidepressant drugs may be overprescribed in primary care. Under-recognition and under-treatment of depression in primary care has been regarded as a major public health problem. In contrast, some studies found that among patients labeled as depressed by primary care physicians (PCPs), a relevant proportion do not satisfy international diagnostic criteria for depression. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess disparity between PCP diagnosis and research diagnosis of depression; (2) to compare antidepressant treatment in concordant and discordant cases of…
