In January, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended primary care physicians start screening all patients over the age of 18 — particularly older adults, pregnant and postpartum women — for depression at least once. Now, an editorial published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests the USPSTF recommendations have major shortcomings.
The editorial was authored by Charles Reynolds III, MD, and Ellen Frank, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry.
Drs. Reynolds and Frank recognize the updated recommendations published by USPSTF highlight the importance of linking screening with adequate systems to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and appropriate follow-up. That said, the authors have their qualms.
"The recommendation is silent, however, with respect to the ideal screening interval and the settings with highest potential yield. These are major shortcomings in our opinion," they wrote.
According to Drs. Reynolds and Frank, screening intervals should be based on the risk architecture inherent in major depression.
"In our opinion, annual screening for depression and its recurrence would be medically appropriate, given the liability of patients with previous episodes for recurrence and chronicity," according to the editorial.
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