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The point prevalence rates for ICD-10 depressive episode and ICD-10 mixed anxiety and depressive disorder were 2.3% and 9.0% respectively, according to the 2007 household survey of adult psychiatric morbidity in England. Adults in the UK with these diagnoses were estimated to have taken more than a quarter of the total number of days' sickness absence in one year. Few patients receive effective treatment and between one- and two-thirds of primary care patients with major depression have not fully recovered 12 months later. The NHS Outcomes Framework has identified 'Enhancing quality of life for people with mental illness' as a key improvement area. The NICE quality standard on depression in adults is intended to facilitate this by providing a definition of high quality care. If the standard is followed, patients will benefit from: reduced prescribing of antidepressants to those who will not benefit; increased access to psychological interventions; increased support through structured monitoring and active follow-up and reduced risk of chronic relapsing depression. People who may have depression should receive an assessment that identifies the severity of symptoms, the degree of associated functional impairment and the duration of the episode. Health outcomes at each appointment should be recorded and the findings used to adjust delivery of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that a meta-analysis has found that almost one in two depressed adult patients experienced maltreatment in childhood and have a higher risk of early onset, chronic or treatment-resistant depression. Topics covered include how emotional abuse could involve conveying to a child their worthlessness or being unloved as well as humiliating or threatening behavior and how building a family tree can provide a historical context to cases of childhood abuse.

The article discusses treatment resistant depression according to a British study on primary care. It references the study "Prevalence of Treament-Resistant Depression in Primary Care: Cross-sectional Data" by L. Thomas and others in the 2013 issue of "The British Journal of General Practice." It finds that less than one in four depressed patients are in remission after a minimum six weeks' treatment with antidepressants, citing factors like patients' adherence to the treatment.

The author examines a study in the U.S. on the effects of on-line messaging, with the use of electronic medical record, on the care of depressed patients. He cites findings showing lower depression measure scores, higher levels of medication adherence, and increased patient satisfaction rate. He notes that management of depression could be greatly improved with electronic communication whose convenience and effectiveness was demonstrated by the study.

The article presents a study which examines the effectiveness of the practice nurse-led proactive care in improving the functional impairment of patients with chronic or recurrent depression. The study uses randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine the impact of proactive care and its evaluation for enduring depression (ProCEED). Results show that collaborative care intervention is more effective in improving outcomes in chronic depression.

The article focuses on a study on major depression as an independent risk factor for mortality in elderly patients and the effects that intervention may have in reducing the risks. The intervention consisted of depression care managers linked to secondary care and works within the intervention practice. The study revealed that patients who suffer major depression from the intervention group were more likely to respond to treatment and remain in remission.

The article discusses research on explanatory factors for the increased mortality of stroke patients with depression. It references the study by L. Ayerbe and colleagues which appeared in the Volume 83, 2014 issue of the journal "Neurology." It was suggested that the association between depression and mortality was stronger in patients who were less than 65 years old.

The article discusses a primary care study in Finland which suggests a poor long-term prognosis in depression. It references the study "Five-Year Outcome of Major Depressive Disorder in Primary Care" by K. A. Riihimaki and colleagues published in the 2014 issue of "Psychological Medicine." The study, which was participated by a total of 137 patients, considered the fact that most patients with depression do not receive an effective treatment.

The article discusses research on screening for depression in patients with coronary heart disease or diabetes. It references a study by C. Burton, C. Simpson and N. Anderson, published in a 2013 issue of "Psychological Medicine." The researchers conclude that the very small yield of new diagnoses failed to justify brief screening for depression in chronically-ill patients.

The article reviews a trial showing that individual exercise therapy has little benefit to depression in adults, although group exercise therapy is recommended. Exercise reportedly physically benefits depressed patients with chronic conditions and mediates increased cardiovascular risk in depressed coronary heart disease patients. The article states that low-intensity interventions to watchful waiting can be offered to patients with mild to moderate depression of less than eight weeks.

The author ponders the effectiveness of collaborative care in patients with depression and poorly controlled diabetes and/or coronary heart disease (CHD), based on a primary care study in the U.S. in 2010. The study discovered that collaborative care improves depression outcomes, chronic disease control and quality of life. Collaboration between the patient, primary care physician and a professional case manager is involved in collaborative care. One drawback of collaborative care is its time consumption.

The author talks about the higher risk of death among patients with depression and coronary heart disease (CHD) based on studies. He cites that there is an increasing evidence of a surge in all cause mortality especially among older patients. He states that the Whitehall II study in Great Britain found a reduced risk of death among patients with CHD alone while those with depression alone remain at high risk. He mentions that a significant reduction in risk of death was observed in a randomised controlled trial of managed care for elderly patients.

The article reviews a research paper related to mental health. The study deals with the importance of case management by healthcare assistants (HCA) in improving care for depressed patients who received calls for HCA twice weekly. Included in the case management and usual care were 310 and 316 patients, respectively. The reviewer proposed telephone follow-up by a HCA as an alternative to practice nurse time.

The article discusses research being done on the care of depressed patients in the Netherlands. It references a study by E. Licht-Strunk et al in a 2009 issue of the "British Medical Journal." The study found that patients aged 55 or older with depression often do not receive treatment in primary care and their condition has a poor prognosis. A possible explanation of the low numbers receiving treatment is that the diagnostic tool was overdiagnosing depression.

The article describes a study of a two-way link between diabetes and depression, stressing that patients with depression are likely to develop type 2 diabetes while patients diagnosed with diabetes are likely to develop depressive symptoms compared to the general population. Study promotes exercise as an effective treatment for patients with depression and to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

The article discusses a research on the clinical response and risk for reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in pediatric antidepressant treatment. Children with depressive disorders who are taking antidepressants were found to have increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. Half of the participants, on the other hand, responded to placebo.