Depression significantly affects patients’ health similarly to other chronic medical conditions and impacts their quality of life.
- Prevalence is high – lifetime major depression rates are 12% for women and 6% for men.
- Screening in primary care visits is important – most depression is diagnosed and treated in primary care.
- Best practice approaches vary – mild, moderate and severe depression each have different best practice approaches.
- Careful monitoring is needed for children, adolescents and young adults (to age 24) – use of antidepressant medications may induce suicidal behavior in youths.
- Dual diagnoses may involve special considerations – prescribing an antidepressant to your patient with a bipolar disorder may cause a manic episode. Depression often coexists with substance abuse.
- In addition, the support that you and your patients receive from these programs can accelerate your quality performance on the MN Community Measurement Depression Remission and Response measures, which can be reviewed at MN Community Measurement (mncm.org).
- Antidepressant education is automatically started through our On Your Way program (PDF) when you start your patients on an antidepressant medication for a new episode of depression.
For assistance in finding a participating mental health clinician, please ask your HealthPartners-insured members to call our behavioral health navigators or Member Services.
- Call behavioral health navigators
- 952-883-5811 (TTY 711)
- 888-638-8787 (TTY 711)
- Call the Member Services number on the back of their member ID card