RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Partners in Care. Hope for Those Who Struggle with Hope

Over the next decade, depression is expected to become the second-leading cause of disability worldwide. About 20 percent of all primary care patients have significant symptoms of depression and require further assessment and patient education. About 6 percent of primary care patients are clinically depressed and require antidepressants or psychotherapy. National clinical guidelines define appropriate treatment strategies for this highly treatable condition, but studies over the past decade have consistently found low rates of detection and appropriate treatment in primary care, the setting from which most depressed persons seek care, if at all.