BMJ  2006;332:249-250 (4 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7536.249

Editorial

Collaborative care for depression

Is effective in older people, as the IMPACT trial shows

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Over the past decade, trials based in primary care have shown the effectiveness of collaborative care models in treating depression. Essential elements of these collaborative care programmes are the use of evidence based protocols for treatment, structured collaboration between primary care providers and mental health specialists, active monitoring of adherence to treatment and of outcomes, and (in some cases) structured programmes of psychotherapy delivered in primary care. A paper by Hunkeler and colleagues (p 259) extends the evidence for collaborative care in depression in three important ways, finding that such care is acceptable to older patients, is effective, and has benefits that are sustained over at least two years.¹

The initial studies on collaborative care for depression showed the value of psychiatrists or psychologists working in primary care settings to improve the quality of pharmacotherapy or provide brief psychotherapy.^{2 3} Subsequent programmes attempted to improve the availability and . . . [Full text of this article]

Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
(simon.g@ghc.org)

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Zuvekas, S. H., Rupp, A., Norquist, G. (2007). Cost Shifting Under Managed Behavioral Health Care. Psychiatr. Serv. 58: 100-108 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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