Welcome back! It's been a while since you were at the clinic. Listen, I just wanted to give you an update on William. He just came in for his 6 month post-treatment check-up and reported no depressive symptoms. He is feeling well and has undetectable virus-a sustained virologic responder.

I get a great deal of satisfaction, pride, and happiness when I see a patient successfully complete therapy for hepatitis C! I know that I helped William by identifying his risk of depression and intervening early to minimize the impact of depression on his antiviral treatment and on his overall quality of life. Had we not managed his depression, William may very well have dropped out of interferon treatment. He also could have begun to seriously consider suicide. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have caught his depression without using a tool like the BDI. I am delighted that we were able to help William feel better and keep up good relations with his family while seeing his therapy through to the end.