[Areas for improvement in the management of depression: perspectives of patients, families and professionals]. / Áreas de mejora en el manejo clínico de la depresión: perspectiva de pacientes, familiares y profesionales.

INTRODUCTION: There is currently a consensus that depression care requires understanding the experiences, expectations, and preferences of patients, and incorporating the views of the professionals involved in its management. The aim of this study was to explore and compare the perspectives of patients, families, and health professionals on the main areas for improvement in the clinical practice of depression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four focus groups were performed (2 with patients with major depression, one with family members, and one with professionals). Participants were recruited with the collaboration the Galician Health Service and the Federation of Associations of Relatives and Persons with Mental Disease. The content of the transcripts were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Five themes and 18 sub-themes emerged, including, diagnostic challenges, the need for a comprehensive approach, improvements in the coordination and monitoring, the establishment of an adequate relationship and therapeutic space and, finally, the impact of stigma. Patients, families and professionals provided partially overlapping and complementary information on these main themes. CONCLUSIONS: The management of depression is a complex task, which requires the implementation of measures of a different nature. The incorporation of the perspectives of key stakeholders is essential and it is necessary to continue working on models of care for depression that optimise the experiences of patients, and take into account their preferences and expectations.

[Perceived satisfaction and usefulness of suicide prevention information for patients and relatives]. / Satisfacción y utilidad percibidas por pacientes y familiares acerca de la información sobre prevención de suicidio.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the satisfaction of persons with suicidal behaviour and their relatives using patient information material included in the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Prevention and Treatment of Suicidal Behaviour. METHOD: The sample was made up of 57 patients with suicidal ideation or behaviour, and 52 relatives. The participants were recruited through a suicide prevention programme (Programa de intervención intensiva en conducta suicida [PII] - Suicidal Behaviour Intensive Intervention Programme) and a family association (Federación de Asociaciones de Familiares y Personas con enfermedad mental de Galicia [FEAFES] - Galician Federation of Associations of Relatives and Persons with mental diseases). An ad-hoc questionnaire was designed to ascertain the degree of perceived satisfaction and usefulness of using the information included in the guidelines. RESULTS: The descriptive data of the sample is presented, along with an exploratory factorial analysis of the questionnaire that yielded two dimensions, i.e., format and usefulness. Patients scored significantly lower than the relatives in two dimensions; nevertheless, no significant differences were found between the two groups in the level of general satisfaction. The socio-demographic variables did not influence the results. Similarly, no differences were observed between patients with and without history of suicidal behaviour. Participants stressed that Primary Care was the setting best suited for dissemination of this type of information. CONCLUSIONS: In general, both patients and relatives displayed a high level of satisfaction with the patient information material assessed. Furnishing information of this type to patients with suicidal ideation and/or behaviour could act as a preventive-educational tool.