Management of Mood Disorders in Primary Care

It was reported in 2021, 17.3% of people needed to see a health professional for their mental health. GPs are often the first contact for these patients. In 2020-21, 15.8% of respondents to the Patient Experience Survey saw at least one health professional for their own mental health in 2020-21 with 12.1% of these respondents seeing a GP for their mental health. Furthermore, the most frequent mental health-related condition managed during GP encounters, are depression, anxiety & sleep disturbance, accounting for 60.8% of all mental health-related consultations. Given the prognostic implications of early detection and intervention, GPs have a pivotal role in the diagnosis, treatment & management of patients suffering from mood disorders.

This update has been developed with a GP focus in order to expand the understanding of diagnostic and management strategies for patients presenting with symptoms of Mood Disorders. The Geelong Clinic’s Medical Officer and psychiatrists with extensive experience in the management of mood disorders review and examine the diagnostic and treatment options available to General Practitioners.

Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss the symptoms and prevalence of the most common types of mood disorders.
2. Conduct a comprehensive initial evaluation of patients presenting with symptoms of a mood disorder.
3. Identify the indications for pharmacological management strategies, cognitive and behavioural treatment options and TMS.
4. Describe the available treatment pathways for patients presenting with symptoms of mood disorders (+/- substance abuse).

Provider Details
The Provider of this activity is Healthscope. Healthscope is an RACGP-accredited CPD Provider under the RACGP CPD Program.

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