The Article in Brief

Conceptual Models of Treatment in Depressed Hispanic Patients

By Alison Karasz, PhD, and colleagues

Background There has been little study of how primary care patients view depression and its treatment. This study investigates how depressed Hispanic patients view primary care treatments for depression. In particular, it focuses on their views of the benefits and effectiveness of such treatments.

What This Study Found Most patients think their primary care doctor could be helpful in treating their depression. Three quarters believe that medication could be helpful or are not sure, and many patients are optimistic about the benefits of counseling. Patients who are currently being treated for depression are likely to view it as effective. Conversation is seen as a benefit of being treated by a primary care doctor for depression.

Implications

• Guidelines for depression treatment emphasize diagnosis and technical care. In contrast, this study finds that participants view "supportive talk" with the doctor as an effective treatment for depression.
• Little is know about the effectiveness of doctors' conversations with depressed patients or the content of such conversations. These are important topics for future study.
• Patients' views of the effectiveness of depression treatments may help shape their decisions about initiating and continuing treatment.