ABC of Anxiety and Depression

Book excerpt: ABC of Anxiety and Depression is a practical guide to the assessment, treatment and management of patients with anxiety and depression as they commonly present in primary care. It begins with an introduction to views on the understanding of anxiety and depression. The following chapters cover how anxiety and depression present in different patient groups such as children and young people, adults, older people and during antenatal/postnatal periods. It then addresses anxiety and depression as comorbidities with chronic illness, and within special populations and settings. The options for treatment and management of anxiety and depression are considered with guidance on when referral to secondary care may be appropriate and the current best practice in psychological therapies, drug treatment and social interventions. Cases are used to illustrate the complexities of managing patients with anxiety and depression. The title concludes with an important chapter on practitioner well-being. ABC of Anxiety and Depression is a practical resource all general practitioners and family physicians working with patients with anxiety and depressive disorders. It is also relevant for primary health care professionals who are part of clinical teams treating patients with anxiety and depression, and conditions where anxiety and depression are common comorbidities, as well as psychologists, counsellors, social workers, and medical and nursing students.