[How can general practitioners best help their depressed patients to resume work?]

How can general practitioners best help their depressed patients to resume work? A recent Cochrane Review summarized the evidence of the effects of interventions to support depressed patients to return to work. The evidence base was quite large with 43 randomized controlled trials often leading to moderate and even high certainty evidence. For both return to work and depressive symptoms an integration of workplace interventions with clinical psychological treatment was most beneficial. Compared to care as usual, this could save 25 sick leave days on an annual basis for depressed patients. For general practitioners, it is worthwhile investing in organizing improved care with psychological treatment integrated with return-to-work measures. Simple workplace interventions such as decreased amount of working time or decreasing job demands will help if integrated in clinical care. The workplace accommodations are usually realized through the supervisor or the human resources department. Good relations with the supervisor are therefore essential. There is no evidence that antidepressant medication will help to decrease the time needed to return to work.