Depression: The Treatment and Management of Depression in Adults (Updated Edition)

This clinical guideline on depression is an updated edition of the previous guidance (published in 2004). It was commissioned by NICE and developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, and sets out clear, evidence- and consensus-based recommendations for healthcare staff on how to treat and manage depression in adults.

Depression affects 6% of adults each year and is the leading cause of suicide. Its symptoms can be disabling and its effects pervasive, impacting on not only the individual patient but also on their families and the wider society. The NICE guideline is an invaluable resource enabling healthcare professionals to recognise, assess and offer effective treatments for this common mental health problem, which can become a chronic disorder if inadequately treated.

Many areas of the previous guideline have been updated in this edition. There is a new introduction about depression and current practice, and a new chapter on service user and carer experience of care. The evidence reviews of service models and psychological and psychosocial interventions have all been updated and there is a new emphasis on low-intensity psychosocial interventions and an increased range of effective psychological interventions. The chapters on pharmacological interventions provide more detailed advice on sequencing treatments after limited response to initial interventions. This new edition of the guideline also covers the management of subthreshold depressive symptoms, which was not part of the scope of the previous guideline.