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Table 3 Usefulness of ADs

From: Understanding the prescription of antidepressants: a Qualitative study among French GPs

Quote 1

Self confidence

"No difficulties to prescribe, I don't' find it difficult.. don't ask myself any existential questions"(FG 4 Male GP, 50, mixed practice)

Quote 2

Safe and secure

"Antidepressants are useful, and change our patients' lives completely ... They are safe drugs, with plenty of indications, very little dependence, ...people can still work and drive"..."prescribing them only in characterized major episodes, would be tragic for patients..." (FG 3, Male GP, 65, urban practice) " Now we have the SSRI and there is no problem handling the treatment"(FG 3 Male GP, 65, urban practice)

Quote 3

Useless

"What is the real effect of the AD? Watchful waiting probably accounts for 50% of the success of the treatment, (FG 5, Male GP, 27, locum)

Quote 4

Risk

"I haven't seen a suicide in 10 years. Before, it was terrifying" (FG 3, Male GP, 62, urban practice)

Quote 5

Major Shift

"When you lived with those old drugs, this new period is absolutely fantastic"(FG 1 Male GP, 60, rural practice)

Quote 6

General use

" You can use them amongst young and old people, workers, unemployed, housewives, it would be a mistake not to treat all of these moderate episodes, (FG 3 Male GP, 45, urban practice )

Quote 7

Emergencies

Feeling it is an emergency situation will not have any influence on my AD prescription. It will have an impact on my decision to call for an ambulance (FG2,Male GP, 50, rural practice)

Quote 8

Indications

"...Seen non-conventional prescriptions? It's never happened to me, I think it's exactly the contrary; many more patients should have an AD and they don't have one" (Interview 1, Female, 28, locum GP)

Quote 9

Reality of (AD effect, of depression)

He was so bad, and really improved a lot in 7 to 14 days, and of course you do know that is not only the "real" effect of ADs (FG 6, Female, 26, locum GP)

Quote 10

GPs' posture

"Moral suffering is by no means trivial! Psychiatrists giving us advice about GPs over-prescribing ADs. You have to laugh or else you cry"(FG 4, Male, 51, Mixed practice GP)

Quote 11

Defense

"What they say is we prescribe ADs to get rid of our patients, not listen to them, and it's exactly the contrary in our real daily practice" (FG 2 female GP, 48, Rural practice)

Quote 12

Real effect

"You always come back to the same question: are antidepressants going to solve the problem? Surely not..." (FG 2 female GP 45, mixed practice)

Quote 13

Hiding problems

"You hide the problem with a Band-Aid ® - the antidepressant - and you'll take it off after a while, saying "Oh, you're better now." (FG2, female GP, rural practice)