TY - JOUR
KW - Adult
KW - Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use
KW - Attitude of Health Personnel
KW - Clinical Competence
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Depressive Disorder/diagnosis/epidemiology/psychology/therapy
KW - Developing Countries
KW - Education
KW - Female
KW - Health Services Accessibility
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Nigeria
KW - Physician's Practice Patterns
KW - Primary Health Care
AU - B. Ola
AU - J. Crabb
AU - A. Adewuya
AU - F. Olugbile
AU - O. A. Abosede
A1 - 
AB - Globally there is a huge treatment gap for common mental disorders such as depression. Key to improving access to treatment will be the attitudes held towards depression by those physicians who work in Primary Care. This study aimed to explore Lagos State's Primary Care Physicians' attitudes towards depression and their views regarding their current working practices. A survey of 41 (82%) Primary Care Physicians in Lagos State who, after written consent, completed the Depression Attitude Questionnaire which assessed their knowledge and attitude towards the causes, consequences and treatment of depression. The largest part of the sample (37.5%) estimated that between 5 and 10% of the patients they saw over a 3 months period would have depression while one in four perceived rates of depression seen to be between 31 and 40%. Close to half (40%) of them felt that fewer than 5% of these depressed patients they saw would need antidepressants and a large part (82.9 %) of them agreed that becoming depressed is a way that people with poor stamina deal with life difficulties. About half (41.6%) of them believed it was not rewarding to look after depressed patients. Our study suggests that the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of most Lagos State primary health care physicians may be a barrier to patients with depression accessing appropriate care.
BT - Community mental health journal
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 2
CY - United States
DO - 10.1007/s10597-013-9648-9
IS - 2
JF - Community mental health journal
N2 - Globally there is a huge treatment gap for common mental disorders such as depression. Key to improving access to treatment will be the attitudes held towards depression by those physicians who work in Primary Care. This study aimed to explore Lagos State's Primary Care Physicians' attitudes towards depression and their views regarding their current working practices. A survey of 41 (82%) Primary Care Physicians in Lagos State who, after written consent, completed the Depression Attitude Questionnaire which assessed their knowledge and attitude towards the causes, consequences and treatment of depression. The largest part of the sample (37.5%) estimated that between 5 and 10% of the patients they saw over a 3 months period would have depression while one in four perceived rates of depression seen to be between 31 and 40%. Close to half (40%) of them felt that fewer than 5% of these depressed patients they saw would need antidepressants and a large part (82.9 %) of them agreed that becoming depressed is a way that people with poor stamina deal with life difficulties. About half (41.6%) of them believed it was not rewarding to look after depressed patients. Our study suggests that the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of most Lagos State primary health care physicians may be a barrier to patients with depression accessing appropriate care.
PP - United States
PY - 2014
SN - 1573-2789; 0010-3853
SP - 239
EP - 244
EP - 
T1 - The state of readiness of Lagos State Primary Health Care Physicians to embrace the care of depression in Nigeria
T2 - Community mental health journal
TI - The state of readiness of Lagos State Primary Health Care Physicians to embrace the care of depression in Nigeria
U1 - Education & Workforce
U2 - 23912148
U3 - 10.1007/s10597-013-9648-9
VL - 50
VO - 1573-2789; 0010-3853
Y1 - 2014
ER -