Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Use of Health Care in Depression: A Survey in a Large Region of France between 1991 and 2005

Abstract

The trend toward increased depressive symptoms does not correspond to an increase in depressed disorders. In a well-staffed urbanized French region, psychologists are playing a growing role in managing depression at the expense of GPs, when the use of a psychiatrist remains unchanged; decreased use of psychotropic drugs may be a consequence.