[Summary of the practice guideline 'Depressive disorder' (first revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners].

In the revised practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a depressive disorder in general practice the distinction between mild and severe depression has been removed. By paying attention to a number of risk factors, the general practitioner can detect patients with a hidden depressive disorder. The general practitioner's strategy is aimed at reducing symptoms and restoring the ability to function normally. Factors that define the strategy are in particular patient's degree of suffering and dysfunctioning, and the patient's preferences and demands. In primary care tricyclic antidepressants and specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are the drugs of first choice: both are equally effective; the nature of the side effects differs.