Associate Professor David Menkes and Professor Bruce Arroll discussed the evidence for the benefit for antidepressants in primary care and cases to indicate:
- how to do the first consultation
- if and when to start antidepressants
- when to increase the dose and when to change to another medication
- what about augmentation with other medications such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics
- side effects
- how to withdraw a patient from antidepressants.
Resources
- PHQ and GAD combined
- Depression - an evidence-based first consultation WONCA (2017)
- Antidepressant tapering advice. Professor Tony Kendrick et al, NIHR REDUCE Programme in the UK (2017)
Presenter
David Menkes
David is an academic psychiatrist with a background in psychology and pharmacology (PhD 1983, Yale), and a continuing interest in the optimal use and toxicology of drug treatments in psychiatry. David is currently working on a programme to monitor and manage the metabolic consequences of antipsychotic treatment.
Presenter
Bruce Arroll
Bruce's current research interest is in rapid non-drug treatments of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. He spends three half days per week in clinical practice working in South Auckland. The rest of time is at the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland site at Tamaki.
