Therapeutic areas

Recruiting for depression trials through psychiatrists and primary care

By TrialNotice · Updated September 24, 2026

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Short answerDepression trial referrals should come from both psychiatrists and primary care physicians, because most depression care happens in primary care: primary care providers prescribe 79% of antidepressants and see 60% of people being treated for depression in the United States. Psychiatrists add patients with treatment resistant or more complex illness.

Where are people with depression treated?

Mostly in primary care. Primary care providers prescribe 79% of antidepressant medications and see 60% of people being treated for depression in the United States (Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine). In the large STAR*D study, 42% of patients were evaluated and treated in a primary care setting, with few differences in symptom profiles from psychiatric clinic patients (Psychiatrist.com).

79%

of antidepressants prescribed by primary care providers

60%

of people treated for depression are seen in primary care

Which physicians should a depression site contact?

Primary care physicians, for patients on first or second line treatment.
Psychiatrists, for treatment resistant depression and complex cases.
Psychiatric nurse practitioners and collaborative care teams, who manage many patients day to day.

Why is screening hard in psychiatry trials?

Tufts CSDD found the average screen failure rate in CNS and neuroscience trials rose to 57% (Tufts CSDD). Referring physicians can prevent many failures if the summary lists the key exclusions they already know: current medications, number of prior treatment trials, and comorbid conditions.

What should outreach to primary care say?

Keep it concrete: the severity range, treatment history required, and what the patient will do in the study. Primary care physicians cite lack of information and time as their main barriers (Tufts CSDD), so the summary must be readable in two minutes.

What should a depression outreach plan include?

The core specialists and relevant primary care physicians within realistic driving distance of the site.
A one page summary with the diagnosis requirements, key exclusions, procedures, and visit schedule.
A named coordinator contact, and a commitment to report back on every referral.
Follow up by email and LinkedIn, prioritizing physicians who engaged.

See referral strategy by therapeutic area for other conditions.

Get your study in front of the right local physicians

TrialNotice builds a physician referral pipeline around one active study. We identify relevant local physicians within driving distance of your site, send study aligned direct mail, follow up by email and LinkedIn, track engagement with recipient level QR codes, and route warm responses into your site team's workflow.

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