Mental Health Blog

GLAD-PC Toolkit Is Here to Help You Treat Depression

• November 15, 2018
• The REACH Institute
• Assessment & screening, Depression Medication,

The new edition of Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC) is now available on The REACH Institute website. This practical toolkit offers dozens of resources to help pediatric primary care providers diagnose and treat depression.

• General screening tools to identify psychosocial and health-related risk factors
• Depression-specific screening tools for patients, parents, and clinicians, some in multiple languages
• DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for the range of depressive conditions, with guidelines for differential diagnosis
• Advice on treatment options including evidence-based psychopharmacology and psychotherapy
• Forms to facilitate referrals to mental health professionals
• Education materials for adolescents and their families
• Guidance on billing for mental health interventions in primary care

The new edition is a thorough revision of the GLAD-PC toolkit first published in 2007. Its practical tools enable clinicians to implement the depression treatment guidelines published in February 2018 in Pediatrics. New features include:

• The new GLAD-PC recommendations for practice preparation and identification, assessment, initial management, treatment, and ongoing management of depressive conditions
• The Whole Child Assessment, a self-report tool on general physical, mental, and emotional health factors, including adverse childhood events
• Versions of the depression-specific self-report tool Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in a dozen languages, including not only English and Spanish but also Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Russian, and more
• Up-to-date billing codes from the American Academy of Pediatrics for mental health assessment and depression care in primary practice

“More than a decade had passed since the original publication of GLAD-PC,” said Rachel Zuckerbrot, MD, one of the toolkit’s authors. “Though most of the tools and guidelines had stood the test of the time, some needed to be updated. My co-authors and I are proud to support primary care providers in helping the whole child, body and mind.”

The GLAD-PC toolkit is published by The REACH Institute and written by Amy Cheung, MD; Rachel A. Zuckerbrot, MD; and Peter S. Jensen, MD.