New Depression Guidelines Released by NICE

The UK’s National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE) has released their new guidance for depression diagnosis, treatment, and management. This new guidance, the first update in 12 years, pushes care towards a shared decision-making model between patient and doctor and sets different standards of care for mild and severe depression. These changes are particularly timely considering the mental health crisis accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Darcy Hodge, editor of The Evidence Base, “Changes in NICE guidance – after over a decade – may have been prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of National Statistics (Cardiff, UK) recently reported that 17% of adults, aged 16 years and over, experienced depression over the summer of 2021. This contrasts previous rates of depression, as in one period prior to the pandemic only 10% of adults reported depression symptoms.”

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(Source: The Evidence Base, November 25^th, 2021)