Quality Over Quantity: Integrating Mental Health Assessment Tools into Primary Care Practice

Depression is one of the most common, costly, and debilitating psychiatric disorders in the US. There are also strong associations between depression and physical health outcomes, particularly chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Yet, mental health services are underutilized throughout the US. Recent policy changes have encouraged depression screening in primary care settings. However, there is not much guidance about how depression screeners are administered. There are people suffering from depression who are not getting the treatment they need. It is important to consider whether enough care is being taken when administering depression screeners in primary care settings.