Theory and practice in the management of depressive disorders

Scientific, professional, and governmental bodies have in recent years intensified efforts to formulate guidelines for the treatment of depression with the goal that medical practice should comply with these standards and thus improve patient care. 'Evidence-based medicine' demands that medical practice should explicitly refer to the best available scientific knowledge. Empirical data on the epidemiology of care suggest that there are major differences between guidelines and routine practice. Failure to detect mental disorders range from 45 to 90%. Only 1 in 10 of those suffering from depression receive adequate treatment. Treatment is insufficient as prescribed dosages are routinely too low, as up to 50% of treatments are ended prematurely and because patient non-compliance interferes with proper treatment application. Psychological treatment is provided only in 60% of cases in need and is mostly unspecific, i.e. listening or giving advice. Furthermore, there are large regional variations in prescribing patterns which show that treatment is influenced by many non-medical factors. Empirical studies show that giving information to physicians or even measures to improve recognition alone are not sufficient to make changes in treatment behaviour. Only if measures are taken to improve treatment interventions directly then, at least for more severe cases, could better illness outcome be shown. If one wants to understand therapist non-compliance with treatment guidelines then one first has to understand the process of medical decision making. Action theory provides a model which brings together theoretical and experimental knowledge, goal setting, medical and emotional assessment, and operational procedures. On the basis of this theory, future guidelines should specify the setting for which they claim to be valid, they should be empirically tested for their feasibility and effects on patient outcome, and they should give proper attention to non-medical factors which have major impact on medical practice.