Closing Thoughts
By helping me with both William and Sonia, you have learned about the importance of treating depression in patients with chronic hepatitis C, especially those who are going to be treated with interferon-based antiviral regimens. You have seen how I talk with patients about depression, assess the severity of their symptoms, and discuss suicide risk. Everyone knows what it is like to feel sad and how talking about emotional problems can feel awkward. This is particularly true when speaking with patients. Also, patients who are depressed are not always easy to get information out of. The material we covered in this course, along with the suggested readings, will provide you with a foundation on which you can build your skills and confidence in talking with patients and assessing their symptoms of depression.

In order to put this information to work, however, you will have to practice your new skills. Experiment with different ways of asking questions to find out what feels right and comfortable for both you and the patients you see in the clinic.

The final section of this course is a set of exercises to help you build your skills and confidence. If this is a new area to you, try working your way through the exercises one by one. If you feel fairly confident, you may elect to do only one or two exercises. Either way, just keep practicing!