Use of depression education materials to improve treatment compliance of primary care patients.

In a collaborative effort between a managed behavioral health organization, a health maintenance organization, and a state employer, this pilot study tested the value of mailing a depression education flyer to primary care patients who were recently prescribed antidepressant medications and an informational letter to their physician. The intervention, designed to improve use of behavioral healthcare services and antidepressant medication adherence, had a moderate impact on consistency of antidepressant medication use and on use of psychotherapy in combination with antidepressant medications. Additionally, intervention patients on combination treatment were more likely to stay on antidepressant medications into the continuation phase of treatment.