What are the recommended assessment tools for diagnosing depression in primary care settings?

Recommended assessment tools for diagnosing depression in primary care settings include:

• Using the two key depression identification questions: "During the last month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?" and "During the last month, have you often been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things?" as initial screening questions.
• For patients who answer 'yes' to either question, consider using a validated measure to assess symptoms, function, and/or disability to inform diagnosis and treatment evaluation.
• In patients with chronic physical health problems or communication difficulties, additional questions about feelings of worthlessness, poor concentration, and thoughts of death may be used to improve assessment accuracy.
• For patients with significant language or communication difficulties, tools such as the Distress Thermometer and collateral information from family or carers can be considered.
• Comprehensive assessment should not rely solely on symptom counts but also consider severity, duration, functional impairment, previous history, and other psychosocial factors.

These recommendations align with NICE guidelines for depression in adults and depression in adults with chronic physical health problems, emphasizing the use of validated measures and structured questions in primary care settings ¹,².