Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2008;12(1):5-10. doi: 10.1080/13651500701330783.
Objective. To estimate treatment rates, self-medication, and preferences for treatment options of depressive symptoms. Methods. A German nationwide representative sample (n=2224) was interviewed. Subjects were asked to fill in a depressive symptom checklist, as well as to answer questions about current treatments and treatment preferences. Results. A total of 16.7% was mildly, 7.5% moderately and 6.5% strongly affected by depressive symptoms; 22.7% of the total affected group were currently or previously being treated by a physician. Self-initiated treatments had been stated as effective in 54.2% of cases. The preference for phytotherapeutic treatment approaches was about 3-6-fold higher than for standard antidepressants and psychotherapies. Treatment preference and wish for treatment increased with increasing severity of symptoms with regard to treatments that had to be professionally initiated. Conclusion. Despite considerable educational efforts, the prevalence of untreated and undiagnosed depressive symptoms seems to be high. There is still little acceptance for the most efficacious therapies for depression. More efforts should be made to increase knowledge about self-administered phytotherapeutic drugs, which might play an important role in a stepped-care approach of future depression management.
目的。评估抑郁症状的治疗率、自我用药以及治疗选择偏好。方法。采用德国全国代表性样本（n=2224）进行访谈。要求受试者填写一份抑郁症状清单，并回答关于当前治疗方法和治疗偏好的问题。结果。共有 16.7%的人受到轻度、7.5%的人受到中度和 6.5%的人受到重度抑郁症状的影响；受影响总人群中，有 22.7%的人目前或之前曾接受过医生的治疗。自我启动的治疗在 54.2%的病例中被认为是有效的。对植物治疗方法的偏好比标准抗抑郁药和心理疗法高出约 3-6 倍。对于需要专业启动的治疗方法，治疗偏好和治疗意愿随着症状严重程度的增加而增加。结论。尽管进行了大量的教育工作，但未治疗和未确诊的抑郁症状的患病率似乎仍然很高。对于最有效的抗抑郁疗法的接受程度仍然较低。应该加大力度提高对自我管理的植物药物的认识，这可能在未来抑郁管理的分级护理方法中发挥重要作用。
