Objective: In the family physician system, depression and anxiety disorders are frequently encountered and antidepressant medications are often prescribed in recent years. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the factors affecting the prescription of antidepressants by family physicians.
Methods: In our study, 120 family physicians working at six districts in Istanbul were contacted and the data were collected by administering a 30-item questionnaire prepared by the investigators.
Results: Eighty point eight percent of the participating family physicians reported that they had sufficient education and practice for diagnosing depression. Fourty seven point five percent of them found their education inadequate for the treatment of patients. Only 1.5% of them were able to define all of the symptoms of depression. Eighty nine point two percent pointed out that they needed regular training about the use of antidepressants in treatment. We found that 81.7% of the physicians preferred prescribing the same antidepressant molecule as their primary option. Sixty six point seven percent stated that they believed the antidepressants could cause dependency and 72.2% believed that a large number of patients would recover without any medication.
Conclusion: With the introduction of family physician practice across the country as of the end of 2010, we entered a new era in terms of the management of psychiatric disorders in primary care. We can suggest that new measures and arrangements are needed to improve the knowledge and attitudes of family physicians about the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Key words: Family physician, antidepressant, depression Article Language: Turkish English
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