Role of primary care in the diagnosis of depression

Depression has been known as a major mental health issue, which as a significant burden

to public health. The world health organization reports it as the leading cause of disability globally,

with about 4.4% of the global population suffering from the same (Friedrich, 2017). The problem

gets bigger because about 80% of the people with depression from middle and low-income

countries do not receive any treatment. Among the barriers to treatment of depression include

inaccurate assessment and inadequate training of health care workers. There is a need to train

primary care physicians on identifying persons with depression since they are usually the first

contact with patients.

Screening tools can help identify patients who have the probability of being depressed from

those who are not. One of the tools commonly used is The Patient Health Questionnaire -9 (PHQ-

9). This document contains nine questions that seek to determine whether a person has been