Department of Behavioural Medicine, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria,
Community Ment Health J. 2014 Feb;50(2):239-44. doi: 10.1007/s10597-013-9648-9. Epub 2013 Aug 4.
Globally there is a huge treatment gap for common mental disorders such as depression. Key to improving access to treatment will be the attitudes held towards depression by those physicians who work in Primary Care. This study aimed to explore Lagos State's Primary Care Physicians' attitudes towards depression and their views regarding their current working practices. A survey of 41 (82%) Primary Care Physicians in Lagos State who, after written consent, completed the Depression Attitude Questionnaire which assessed their knowledge and attitude towards the causes, consequences and treatment of depression. The largest part of the sample (37.5%) estimated that between 5 and 10% of the patients they saw over a 3 months period would have depression while one in four perceived rates of depression seen to be between 31 and 40%. Close to half (40%) of them felt that fewer than 5% of these depressed patients they saw would need antidepressants and a large part (82.9 %) of them agreed that becoming depressed is a way that people with poor stamina deal with life difficulties. About half (41.6%) of them believed it was not rewarding to look after depressed patients. Our study suggests that the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of most Lagos State primary health care physicians may be a barrier to patients with depression accessing appropriate care.
全球范围内，常见精神障碍（如抑郁症）的治疗缺口巨大。改善治疗可及性的关键在于初级保健医生对抑郁症的态度。本研究旨在探索拉各斯州初级保健医生对抑郁症的态度，以及他们对当前工作实践的看法。对拉各斯州的 41 名（82%）初级保健医生进行了调查，他们在书面同意后完成了抑郁态度问卷，评估了他们对抑郁症的病因、后果和治疗的知识和态度。样本中最大的一部分（37.5%）估计，他们在 3 个月的时间里看到的患者中，有 5%至 10%会患有抑郁症，而四分之一的人认为看到的抑郁症发病率在 31%至 40%之间。近一半（40%）的人认为他们看到的这些抑郁患者中，需要抗抑郁药的不到 5%，很大一部分（82.9%）的人认为抑郁是体力不佳的人应对生活困难的一种方式。大约一半（41.6%）的人认为照顾抑郁患者没有回报。我们的研究表明，拉各斯州大多数初级卫生保健医生目前的知识、态度和实践可能是抑郁症患者获得适当治疗的障碍。
