Expert recommends early interventions against depression

Psychological checkups in which doctors provide counseling to help patients avoid developing depression should be just as common as vaccines against infections, says an expert from the University of California, San Francisco.

Ricardo Munoz wrote in the journal American Psychologist that most major depressive episodes are preventable. Yet few people receive the type of counseling that is necessary to help them avoid this condition.

"The healthcare system is set up to pay providers for treatment. It has not been set up to pay providers for prevention of mental disorders," said Munoz. "Without financial incentives for prevention few professionals will engage in preventive interventions. It's a major structural obstacle."

He said that by implementing new strategies that identify individuals who are at risk for developing depression at an early stage, more people will receive the type of treatment they need. This may include a prescription to buy Paxil. As with most other health problems, treating depression in its early stages typically leads to better outcomes than when therapy is delayed.