Primary care patients' views on depression treatments

We also know very little about whether different groups of patients with depression perceive themselves as having particular treatment needs.

The aim of this study is to undertake a secondary analysis and synthesis of data collected during five different qualitative studies in order to describe usual care from the patient perspective and to detail patients’ views of different treatment modalities and the views held by different patient groups regarding their particular needs. Each of these qualitative studies were nested within five different primary care-based depression trials. Interventions assessed within these trials included antidepressants, face-to-face CBT, online CBT, physical activity and non-directive counselling.

Interventions were delivered by various individuals - GPs, CBT therapists, Physical Activity Facilitators and Research Health Visitors - and aimed at different groups of patients with depression (i.e. women with postnatal depression, women with antenatal depression, patients with a new episode of depression and patients with ‘treatment resistant' depression). Each of the qualitative studies entailed conducting in-depth interviews with trial participants in order to explore their treatment needs, and their views and experiences of treatments they had received and of the practitioners involved in their care.

Bringing these data sets together will provide us with 184 interview transcripts and the material needed to address the aim of our research.

Findings will address important gaps in knowledge regarding primary care patients’ experiences of being treated for depression. They will give a better understanding of what usual care entails for primary care patients with depression and the context in which patients are currently treated, and will suggest ways in which delivery of care and treatments, such as CBT, could be improved. They will also give insight into the perceived treatment needs of specific groups of patients with depression and whether patients think it is beneficial to receive more than one treatment at the same time or sequentially. Such insights could be used to inform future clinical guidelines, the development of treatments and clinical trials.