To the Editor:

Re “The Wrong Story About Depression” (Op-Ed, Jan. 9):

Judith Warner is correct that antidepressants are frequently prescribed by primary-care doctors, often for the minor and moderate depressions referred to in the study getting recent media attention.

Depressions respond to psychotherapy. Ms. Warner is also correct that the effectiveness of this treatment very much depends on the individual practitioner. The practitioner can be a psychiatrist, a psychologist or a social worker.

The advantage of an evaluation by a well-trained psychiatrist is that the medical and drug-induced causes of depression can be better ruled out, and a judgment can be made whether the condition is of significant severity where the benefits of the addition of medication outweigh the risks.

Unfortunately, as with other fields, attempts to determine who are the best (performance measurements, published rankings, word of mouth) all have their flaws. There are many people suffering from severe depression, and we have to do a much better job ensuring that they get the best possible care.