Managing complex problems: treatment for common mental disorders in the UK.

AIMS: This paper aims to describe current trends in the UK primary care management of common mental disorders and explore the appropriateness of differing management approaches in light of the course and common complications of these disorders.
METHODS: It highlights key findings concerning the course and comorbidity of depression to indicate that depression and associated mental illnesses may often form part of more complex patterns of ill health and that these conditions have a clear potential for chronicity. A narrative review of studies providing detail of depression prevalence in selected comorbid conditions is presented for this purpose.
CONCLUSION: The presentation and course of common mental disorders indicate organizational changes in health service delivery, and--for a sizeable patient group--the use of chronic disease management strategies.