Regaining Some Good in the World: What Matters to Persons Diagnosed as Depressed in Primary Care

The identification and effective treatment of depression in primary care settings is at the forefront of current health care reform efforts in the United States. Historically, primary care services have accounted for the highest percentage of the prescription of psychiatric medications, especially antidepressants [1]. Yet primary care has typically lacked the appropriate mental health expertise to provide psychiatric care in an effective fashion. Through the combination of federal parity legislation passed in 2008 and the comprehensive health care reform efforts outlined in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), this situation may change dramatically. As a result, primary care settings may begin to experience a significant influx of behavioral health professionals with appropriate training and expertise so that care for mental health and substance use disorders can be provided, in terms of both accessibility and effectiveness, on par with all other medical care [2,3].