Involvement of Family Members in Treatment of Depressed Individuals

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Sir: The negative impact depression has on family relationsis mentioned several times by Pincus and Pettit in their recentEDITOR’ S CHOICE supplement article on chronic major depression.¹ However, nowhere in the discussion of treatment in thearticles that follow in that special supplement on depression is itpointed out that it is vitally important to involve family members, employers, and others who have frequent contact with thedepressed person in the treatment plan.Since the Companion addresses family physicians, emphasisneeds to be placed on the preventive work a family doctor canperform for the relatives of depressed patients.