Depression

Clinical practice guidelines serve as an educational reference, and do not supersede the clinical judgment of the treating physician with respect to appropriate and necessary care for an individual patient. In the event that HMSA policies differ from the clinical practice guidelines, for benefit purposes, HMSA policies shall supersede the clinical practice guidelines.

The links below direct you to the latest national guidelines (in alphabetic order):

• American Academy of Pediatrics

  Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC): Part II. Treatment and Ongoing Management

  Amy H. Cheung, MD, Rachel A. Zuckerbrot, MD, Peter S. Jensen, MD, Danielle Laraque, MD, Ruth E.K. Stein, MD, e GLAD-PC STEERING GROUP

• American College of Physicians

  Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Treatments of Adult Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis for a Clinical Guideline by the American College of Physicians (2023)

• American Psychological Association [PDF]

  The American Psychological Association developed this clinical practice guideline to provide recommendations for the treatment of depressive disorders (including major depression, subsyndromal depression, and persistent depressive disorder). It addresses three developmental cohorts: children and adolescents; general adults; and older adults (ages 60 and over).

• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

  A link to USPS Task Force 2022 recommendations for Depression and Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents: Screening

• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

  A link to to USPS Task Force 2023 recommendations for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: Screening

• VA/DoD CPG – Management of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (2022)

  Describes critical decision points in the management of Major Depressive Disorder

Guideline Review Date: December 2025

The information posted above includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other organizations. HMSA provides these links for our users’ information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving the HMSA site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the outside website. HMSA does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information on linked websites. HMSA does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer. HMSA cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials in linked websites; users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website. HMSA is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.

Revision History