Comments on the foundation and activities of the International Committee for Prevention and Treatment of Depression

• 1.

  1. Experience thus far acquired by an International Committee for Prevention and Treatment of Depression which was founded in 1975, and whose aim is to improve treatment for depressive patients in everyday practice, would confirmed that the Committee's activities fulfil a genuine need. In this connection one of the major objective of the PTD Committee is to diseminate pertinent information about depression to general practitioner.

• 2.

  2. It is gratifying to observe that practitioners who are not themselves psychiatrists are showing an increasing willingness to treat cases of depression on an ambulatory basis and that they are also grateful to receive practical information on diagnosis and treatment of depressive states.

• 3.

  3. The Committee deliberately decided to concentrate its efforts initially on a selection of European countries, in order to accumulate the experience which would be required to develop a comprehensive system of post-graduate instruction.

• 4.

  4. After this preliminary phase of its work was completed, the Committee expanded its activities to the United States and Japan.

• 5.

  5. The main objective of the Committee is to obtain that the right patient will have the right diagnosis and get the right anti-depressant.