Young Physicians Call for Better Medical School Training in Depression

Paris (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Multi-National Survey Highlights Gaps in PCPs Knowledge About
Depression and Painful Physical Symptoms

Nine of 10 young primary care physicians (PCPs) believe medical
school training about depression -- specifically regarding its
painful physical symptoms -- needs to be improved, according to
findings from a multi-national survey released today in Paris.

Of the 500 PCPs surveyed across five countries -- Brazil, France,
Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom -- about one-third felt
medical school prepared them to diagnose depression on a patient's
first visit (35 percent) or prepared them to treat all symptoms of
depression, emotional and physical, to complete remission (31
percent). The PCPs interviewed all had been in clinical practice for
three to five years.

"It's important that doctors quickly recognize and consider
physical symptoms -- such as fatigue, vague aches and pains and sleep
disturbances -- as possible signs of depression," said Preston
Garrison, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the World
Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), one of the sponsors of the
survey. "A delayed or missed diagnosis prolongs a depressed person's
suffering and may decrease the likelihood of a full recovery."

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of PCPs said their training did
teach the importance of considering both the emotional and painful
physical symptoms of depression and half (51 percent) said they were
taught that depressed patients often present primarily with painful
physical symptoms. When probed, however, PCPs displayed some
knowledge gaps and misperceptions about the role of painful physical
symptoms in the diagnosis and treatment of depression. When asked
what five depression symptoms came to mind, for example, only
one-third or fewer PCPs named painful physical symptoms, and less
than one-third (27 percent) believe painful physical symptoms are a
symptom of depression always or most of the time. In addition, while
PCPs believe depressed patients will achieve remission (full symptom
resolution), the great majority mistakenly believe treating emotional
symptoms will automatically lead to resolution of physical aches and
pains. Clinical research shows that physical symptoms often go
unresolved even after emotional symptoms have abated.(1)

Young PCPs agree (48 percent) or strongly agree (39 percent) that
medical school training about depression needs to be improved, and
the majority agree (52 percent) or strongly agree (34 percent) that
training specifically about the painful physical symptoms of
depression needs to be improved.

"As a result of the survey findings, WFMH is calling for a
worldwide improvement of medical school education regarding
depression and painful physical symptoms," said Preston Garrison. "As
such, the WFMH will be implementing an international advocacy
outreach initiative to encourage curriculum improvement. The intent
of the program is to increase PCPs' expertise regarding the role of
both emotional and painful physical symptoms in diagnosis and
treatment of depression, in the hope of improving worldwide
diagnosis, treatment and recovery rates."

The Testing the Medics survey is part of the WFMH's Breaking
through Barriers depression awareness campaign, a public education
initiative designed to overcome the stigma of depression and improve
the worldwide standard of care in depression. The campaign is
co-sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim.

About the Testing the Medics Survey

The WFMH, in partnership with Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer
Ingelheim, commissioned the Testing the Medics international survey
to measure how well medical schools educate PCPs about the link
between depression and painful physical symptoms, and to identify
potential gaps in young PCPs' knowledge.

An estimated 121 million people worldwide suffer from
depression,(2) yet roughly three-quarters of people with a depressive
disorder never receive any treatment, according to the World Health
Organization.(3) Despite the high prevalence of physical symptoms in
the primary care setting, the WFMH is concerned that young PCPs may
not receive adequate education about the connection between
depression and painful physical symptoms, and that such low awareness
may be a contributor to the large depression prevalence-treatment
gap.

Survey - Methodology

Independent market research company Harris Interactive(R)
conducted the survey on behalf of WFMH via telephone between April 21
and July 03, 2006, in Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico and the United
Kingdom. Interviews were conducted with a total of 501 primary care
physicians (approximately 100 in each country) with three to five
years of clinical experience since completing their residencies.
Harris only surveyed doctors who see patients for at least 20 hours
per week and who treat at least two depression patients per month.
With samples of this size, there is 95 percent certainty that the
overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage
points.

About the WFMH

The WFMH is an international interdisciplinary membership
organization whose mission is to promote, among all people and
nations, the highest possible level of mental health in its broadest
biological, medical, educational, and social aspect. Consultative
status at the United Nations provides WFMH a variety of opportunities
to engage in mental health advocacy at the global level, working
closely with the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the
International Labor Organization and others.

(1) Greco T, et al. J Gen Intern. M 2004; 19: 813-818

(2) World Health Organization. Factsheet - Depression, 2005.
Available at: http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/
definition/en/.

(3) World Health Organization, Available at: http://www.who.int/di
etphysicalactivity/publications/facts/diabetes/en/

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ots Originaltext: World Federation for Mental Health
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