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BMJ 2008;336:435-439 (23 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.39478.609097.BE
Markku Timonen, professor of general practice1, Timo Liukkonen, senior consultant2
1 Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Box 5000, FIN-90014, Finland, 2 Department of Psychiatry, Savonlinna Central Hospital, Finland
Correspondence to: M Timonen markku.timonen@oulu.fi
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
A study by the World Health Organization ranked depression the fourth global burden of disease and found it to be the largest non-fatal burden of disease, with nearly 12% of total years lived with disability.1 According to the cross sectional WHO world health survey, carried out in all regions of the world (60 countries), the one year prevalence of a depressive episode (international classification of diseases, 10th revision) was 3.2% (95% confidence interval 3.0% to 3.5%). In patients with several medical conditions the prevalence of depression exceeds that of the general population,2 with 5-10% of patients affected in primary care and 10-14% of patients under general hospital care.3 The diagnosis and treatment of depression by general practitioners is not, however, always optimal.4 5 We review the presentation and assessment of depression and discuss the options for its effective treatment and management.
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