Behavioral Health Conditions

Depression

Everyone occasionally feels sad or down. These feelings typically are short-lived and pass within a few days. However, if an individual continuously feels sad, hopeless and lost – for weeks, months or even years – it is likely that they have some form of depression.

Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting 6.7 percent (more than 16 million) of American adults each year (SAMHSA, 2014).

Refer to the resources below to help in screening and understanding depression, and get your patients the care they need.

Screening Tools

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is the most common screening tool to identify depression. It is available in multiple languages, accessible at phqscreeners.com.

Clinical Guidelines and Best Practices

VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder (2022)

The American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Major Depression, Third Edition

The American Psychological Association's Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts (2019)

Treating Depression in the Primary Care Setting (PDF)

Prescribing Guidelines for Antidepressants (PDF)

Patient Resources

Conduct your own keyword search in our Healthwise library for more resources to help your patients make better health decisions.

Common Signs and Symptoms

Feeling hopeless
Sad, anxious or feeling empty
Difficulty concentrating
Aches or pains
Headaches
Overeating or appetite loss
Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping
Excessive crying
Angry outbursts
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements