19.06.2015 Views

Common Mental Disorders Depression - New Zealand Doctor

Common Mental Disorders Depression - New Zealand Doctor

Common Mental Disorders Depression - New Zealand Doctor

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

About the guideline<br />

Foreword<br />

The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> Guidelines Group Incorporated (NZGG) is a not-for-profit<br />

non-governmental organisation committed to leading the effective use of reliable<br />

evidence in the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> health and disability sector. One way it shows<br />

leadership is through the production of evidence-based guidelines.<br />

Our guidelines are developed from systematic reviews of international literature.<br />

The evidence is placed within the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> context, so that recommendations<br />

on best practice can be implemented by all people affected by the guideline,<br />

whether they are practitioners, consumers or policy makers.<br />

Scope of the guideline<br />

This guideline addresses the identification of common mental disorders and the<br />

management of depression in primary care in all age groups. Special issues pertaining<br />

to older adults and mental disorders in the antenatal and postnatal period are also<br />

addressed. Among young people the focus is largely on adolescents as the prevalence<br />

of mental disorders is high in this group.<br />

The guideline does not detail the management of common mental disorders other<br />

than depression. It is intended for use by all health care practitioners practising in<br />

a primary care setting, including general practitioners, practice nurses, midwives,<br />

counsellors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers and<br />

school nurses. While the guideline is intended to inform development of service<br />

frameworks, it does not make specific recommendations in this area.<br />

In this guideline, the term depression is used as shorthand for a disorder meeting<br />

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of <strong>Mental</strong> <strong>Disorders</strong> (DSM) or the International<br />

Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) diagnostic<br />

criteria for major depression/major depressive episode. Depressive disorder is used<br />

to refer to a condition meeting DSM or ICD diagnostic criteria for a depressive<br />

disorder (eg, major depression, dysthymia, postnatal depression).<br />

Identification of <strong>Common</strong> <strong>Mental</strong> <strong>Disorders</strong> and Management of <strong>Depression</strong> in Primary Care<br />

vii

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!