Screening Tools Inflate Antidepressant Prescriptions

Depression screening questionnaires (e.g., PHQ‑9) used in routine primary care can be misapplied: transient distress or a short bad spell can trigger scores that lead to medication starts without specialist assessment or access to nonmedication options. Because most antidepressants are initiated in primary care settings that lack integrated behavioral health, screening‑first workflows risk expanding long‑term medication use and downstream withdrawal problems. — If screening‑driven prescribing is a major driver of antidepressant exposure, reforms in screening practice, primary‑care resourcing, and reimbursement for nonpharmacologic treatments would be required to reduce unnecessary long‑term use and related harms.