Depressive Disorder Research

Description of impact

Research conducted at the University of Aberdeen into the treatment of depressive disorder in primary care has directly led to the revision of health care policy by the Scottish Government Health Department. The work initiated debate over the validity of tools for the assessment of depression, contributing to revision of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), a system for the performance management and payment of GPs in the NHS in the UK. The findings are now being discussed in commentaries on the development of forthcoming disease classification systems for depression in the US (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-revision V) and Europe (International Classification of Disease — ICD revision 11).

Therefore the claimed impact is on: health and welfare; changes to public policy and on impact on practitioners and services.

Impact status	Impact Completed (Open)