The gap is most prominent with sexual side effects and weight gain, two side effects that physicians acknowledge as very common, but ones that most patients rarely link to their antidepressant. To compound this problem, these two topics are difficult for people to bring up with physicians in general. Patients believe they have to tolerate side effects unnecessarily when other options exist. This raises questions about how often patients withhold concerns or experiences with side effects from physicians, and whether physicians consistently monitor the impact of treatment side effects throughout the duration of therapy 4. Patients may feel discouraged about raising side effect concerns with physicians.
Side effects lead to serious forms of non-compliance.
Patients are not offered the chance to participate in treatment decisions. This can best be achieved when physicians and patients talk more fully and openly throughout the course of treatment, and make changes or adjustments in antidepressant treatments tailored to each patient's needs. While we know that all antidepressants are equally effective, but that not every one works the same for each person. Recognizing that both consumers and physicians need to take joint responsibility to improve outcomes in the treatment of depression, National DMDA is developing professional and patient education activities and also seeks collaborative relationships with the professional associations that represent the primary care community to do the same. This National DMDA initiative is funded through an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.