Clinicians on the front line: active management of depression and anxiety in primary care.

Primary-care practitioners confront myriad issue in managing their patients with depression and/or anxiety. Understanding the scope and epidemiology of these disorders is essential to understanding their shared characteristics. Do we always recognize these patients in practice? What are the barriers to diagnosis and treatment, and how can they overcome? What are the treatment options of these sometimes life-altering conditions, and how do we choose from among the many that exist?