ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1505396
Self-management strategies and care needs of patients with persistent depressive disorder and their partners/informal caregivers: A multi-ple perspectives qualitative interview study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
- 2Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands, Netherlands
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands, Netherlands
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When patients with persistent depressive disorder (PDD) respond insufficiently to available evidence-based treatments, depression treatment guidelines recommend psychiatric rehabilitation throughusing self-management., preferablyPreferably, the intervention should involveing the patient's informal caregiver. To gain insight into the healthcare needs of PDD patients and their caregivers and to facilitate the implementation of a self-management program, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 28 PDD patients and 9 informal caregivers regarding their self-management/coping and needs. Transcripts were analyzed with Grounded Theory using three sensitizing concepts (PDD experience, selfmanagement/coping, needs). For pPatients had (9 main themes) and caregivers had (11 main themes. s), caregivers and patientsPatients and caregivers shared 9 main themes, pertaining to powerlessness, patients' identity changes, shame/stigma, relationship dissatisfaction, family suffering, self-management attitudes, self-management strategies, coping support, and coping complications. While self-management attitudes of patients were mixed, those of caregivers were positive. The primary Ccare needs of both groups centered on psychoeducation and communication skills development. Care needs of patients and caregivers focused primarily on psychoeducation and building communication skills. Caregivers also reported urgently needinged support in dealing with patients' suicidal behavior. Our findings underscore the profound burden of PDD on both patients and their informal caregivers. We strongly recommend that healthcare professionals encourage and facilitate the development of selfmanagement in depressed patients early in the treatment process and involve informal caregivers, particularly within suicide prevention strategies.especially in suicide prevention plans.
Keywords: self-management, chronic depression, Persistent depressive disorder, qualitative study, Care needs
Received: 02 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Solis, Carlier, Kamminga and Van Hemert. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ericka C Solis, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, 2333, South Holland, Netherlands
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