Barriers to good management of depression in primary care: the views of GPs and nurses

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A research team from the Institute of Psychiatry in London have conducted a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies of General Practitioners’ and Practice Nurses’ attitudes to managing depression in primary care. They found 7 qualitative and 10 quantitative studies, none of which looked at depressed people with co-morbid physical illness. Two contrasting understandings of depression were [read the full story…]

Access to psychological therapies for people with learning disabilities could be improved

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This paper reports on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme which was established to treat people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Interestingly, although Positive Practice Guidance was published in 2009, there are currently no geographical areas listed as having a special interest in specifically rolling out psychological therapies to people with [read the full story…]

Are adolescents with learning disabilities more vulnerable to depression than their non disabled peers?

Self-reported stigma was positively associated with psychological distress

Depression can be difficult to spot in people with learning disabilities. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in its information leaflet points out that for many people with learning disabilities expressing their feelings in words may not come easily, so their actions may speak for them. They suggest that sudden changes in behaviour or mood, or [read the full story…]