Doctors miss depression nearly 50% of the time

General practitioners often have great difficulty properly diagnosing cases of depression, according to the results of a new study. An analysis of more than 50,000 patients finds that doctors miss true cases of depression about half the time and incorrectly diagnosis it in 19 percent of healthy people. Writing in the journal The Lancet, the researchers said: "Our results should not be interpreted as a criticism of GPs for failing to diagnose depression but rather a call for better understanding of the problems that non-specialists face." (Sciencedaily, 8/03/09)