Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in the Primary Care Setting (The Diamond 10-year Cohort Study)

Project Details

The Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care Study (Diamond Cohort Study) is a unique resource of 10 years of data collected from 789 people in the primary care setting.  The study was established in 2005 to explore the course and management of depression in the primary care setting in recognition that most treatment and management of common mental disorders occurs in general practice. Diamond is now one of the largest and longest running cohorts of its kind globally. Study participants completed annual written surveys and telephone interviews about their symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, medications, health service use, co-morbidity, physical health, substance use, the experience of depression and recovery.

This decade long research has established one of the most comprehensive data sets of its type in the world, and forms the basis of much productive international collaboration.

Data from this study has been used to develop the Diamond Clinical Prediction Tool (CPT) for depression. This tool is currently being tested in a general practice based randomised controlled trial, Target-D.

Pending outcomes from the trial, the CPT is intended for use in routine depression care in the primary care setting. The trial will determine whether a stratified approach to the primary care management of depression will result in clinical and economic benefits compared to usual general practice care.

Researchers

STUDY INVESTIGATORS

  • Professor Jane Gunn (Lead Investigator) - Department of General Practice (University of Melbourne)
  • Professor Helen Herrman - Orygen: The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health
  • A/Prof Patty Chondros - Department of General Practice (University of Melbourne)
  • Professor Kelsey Hegarty - Department of General Practice (University of Melbourne)
  • Professor Christopher Dowrick - Institute of Psychology Health and Society (University of Liverpool)
  • Professor Victoria Palmer - Department of General Practice (University of Melbourne)
  • Professor Michael Kyrios - Research School of Psychology (Australian National University)

Collaborators

  • Associate Professor Grant Blashki, Nossal Institute for Global Health (University of Melbourne)
  • Professor Gail Gilchrist, National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (King's College London)
  • Professor Frances Griffiths, Warwick Medical School (Univeristy of Warwick)
  • Professor Catherine Mihalopoulos, School of Health and Social Development (Deakin University)
  • Professor Dimity Pond, School of Medicine and Public Health (General Practice) The University of Newcastle
  • Professor Lena Sanci, Department of General Practice (University of Melbourne)

Funding

The Diamond study was initiated with pilot funding from the beyondblue Victorian Centre for Research Excellence in Depression and Related Disorders and the main cohort has received consecutive Project Grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (IDs 299869 (2004); 454463 (2007); 566511 (2009); and 1002908 (2010) . The  year one Computer Assisted Telephone Interview was funded by a Stream 3 grant from the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. No funding body had a role in study design; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication.

Research Outcomes

Publications 2005 - 2016

Research Publications

Gunn J, Cameron J, Densley K, Davidson S, Fletcher S, Palmer V, Chondros P, Dowrick C, Pirkis J. Uptake of mental health websites in primary care: insights from an Australian longitudinal cohort study of depression.  Patient Educ Couns Accepted July 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.07.008

Bousman C, Gunn J, Potiriadis M, Everall I. Polygenic phenotypic plasticity moderates the effects of severe childhood abuse on depressive symptom severity in adulthood: A 5-year prospective cohort study.The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. 2017; 18(1): 75-81. DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2016.1153710

Research Group

Primary Care Mental Health


Faculty Research Themes

Neuroscience

School Research Themes

Neuroscience & Psychiatry, Critical Care


Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

General Practice and Primary Care

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