Diagnosis of anxiety and depressive disorders in general medical practice is a very important problem of modern medicine. This review article provides basic information about the epidemiology and economic burden of anxiety-depressive disorders, their comorbidity with other mental and somatic diseases, and the connection with suicidal behavior. According to the Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus dated 02.03.2020 № 13 «On approval of the clinical protocol» «Diagnosis and treatment of patients with mental and behavioral disorders by general practitioners», this article focuses on depression, generalized anxiety, panic, mixed anxiety and depressive disorder in general medical practice. Relevant issues of low quality diagnosis of anxiety and depressive disorders are identified, which are associated both with the complexity of the clinical picture of the diseases in question and with organizational problems. Particular attention is also paid to the need for further integration of psychiatric care into general medical practice while increasing its accessibility and quality. For this, it is necessary to continue studying the best practices of foreign countries in which family and general practitioners have been providing psychiatric care to patients for many years.
Regional medical practice variation in high-cost healthcare services
