Category Access to Treatment

Care for Your Mind

Over the past several weeks, Care for Your Mind posts have articulated the “gold standard” of depression treatment: that it should be tailored for each individual living with depression, selected through a process of shared decision making that takes into account the person’s goals, priorities, and preferences. Based on those criteria, it’s reasonable for people living with depression and their families to expect to receive quality depression treatment from their primary care providers, particularly for the first and perhaps second medical treatment regimen. In this final post of the series, we underscore the importance of fully treating depression, meaning that treatment should not be considered completed until residual symptoms have been alleviated.

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Kimberly Morrow, LCSW

Editor’s Note: Over the course of the past several posts on depression treatment, we’ve focused on matching the treatment to the person. For most people with moderate to severe depression, medication is an element of treatment. Thus, the series includes discussion about making choices among medications to best align with the person living with depression’s goals, preferences, and priorities. We also acknowledge that talk therapy is often a core component of effective treatment and long-lasting wellness. In this archived post, we share strategies to access therapy services when cost is an issue.

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The quality of the decision making process has significant consequences with regard to treatment experience and treatment outcomes. What is happening in the field of development and use of decision aids?

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Care for Your Mind

For most people, Primary Care Providers are their most accessible health care professionals. PCPs (for example, general medicine or family physician, nurse practitioner) are the first line of care for a host of physical conditions and are frequently the first to diagnose and treat depression. Because PCPs are busy and not always attuned to mental health issues – especially as mental health disorders are often masked by physical complaints and discussion of concerns is stymied by stigma – it’s important for caregivers of people living with mood disorders to be educated about depression and prepared to advocate for the treatment that best fits their loved ones’ goals, preferences, and priorities.

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Anita H. Clayton, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
University of Virginia School of Medicine

The mental health care system is overburdened, so it’s a comfort to know that primary care providers are generally capable of starting a person’s depression treatment. In fact, about two-thirds of antidepressant prescriptions are written by primary care providers. If you’ve read the past several posts here on Care for Your Mind (see the list in resources below), you’ll know to communicate with your health care provider to decide on the treatment that is the best fit for you. In this post, Dr. Anita Clayton provides you with strategies and helps you set reasonable expectations for treatment.

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Michael E. Thase, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Treatment and Research Program
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Depression affects more than 15 million Americans and it’s the leading underlying factor for people who attempt suicide. Only half of Americans diagnosed with major depression receive treatment. Because earlier diagnosis and treatment improve outcomes, mental health screenings should be a top priority.

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Anita H. Clayton, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
University of Virginia School of Medicine

For many of us, depression treatment isn’t straightforward, as we encounter medical, practical, cultural, and other issues. This shouldn’t be seen as reason for despair, but – with flexibility, creativity, compassion, and an open mind – an opportunity to create the right treatment plan for each individual.

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Anita H. Clayton, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
University of Virginia School of Medicine

Depression can negatively impact all aspects of a person’s life, from interpersonal relationships at home and in social circles to productivity at work. Untreated depression can last for a year or longer. There are effective treatments, but for any treatment plan to be successful, it has to be followed. You can learn to advocate for your (or your loved one’s) care to find the personalized treatment plan that aligns with your goals, preferences, and priorities and boosts your likelihood of sticking with it.

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