How to spot depressed patients in your practice

This is the third in a series of short articles on management of common problems primary care physicians encounter in the office setting. Written by members of Postgraduate Medicine's Editorial Council, these articles offer a personal perspective gleaned from hands-on experience. Here, Dr Matthies presents his approach to management of depression-how to recognize clues to the disorder, how to confront patients with the diagnosis, and where to go from there.