The Singapore Family Physician

Back to issue Vol 47 No. 4 - Mental Health 2021 Update

The Patient with Depression: Assessment and Management

Tan Zhenwen Tina
The Singapore Family Physician Vol 47 No 4 - Mental Health 2021 Update
13 - 16
1 March 2021
0377-5305
Depression in adults is a condition that is treatable by family physicians. The current Clinical Practice Guidelines from the Ministry of Health recommends a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) as the first-line of pharmacotherapy. Care should be taken to assess the patient’s psychological and social factors contributing to the illness. These factors should be managed by referring the patient to an appropriate allied health professional, such as a psychologist or community based social worker. Specialist referral should be made under certain circumstances (such as treatment-resistance), or if issues pertaining to risk arise. This review aims to give an update on the recently published DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis, and the treatment of the adult patient with depression.