Shared decision making (SDM) is a collaborative process, involving discussion, education and deliberation between the health professional and the patient in order to include the patient in decisions on managing their medical condition.
While some health professionals may have concerns about implementing SDM in the area of mental health, research shows that many patients with depressive disorders do well with greater involvement in therapeutic decision-making.
Antidepressants often play an important role in the treatment of moderate to severe depression, but their effectiveness is limited by low patient adherence rates, with up to 60% of patients showing sub-optimal adherence as early as 6 months into treatment. One modifiable factor that may improve adherence is improving how antidepressants are selected for the patient.
Antidepressants (and indeed all treatments for depression) should be chosen based on each individual patient’s circumstances and preferences. SDM cultivates these informed preferences and leads to patient-centred choices.
This program is supported by an independent educational grant provided by Servier.