The aim of this study was to examine what we know about the general practitioners' ability to diagnose and treat depression. Some studies suggest that clinicians might have considerable difficulty identifying depressions correctly, but that diagnostics become more accurate with increased severity of the disease. Several studies suggest that patients diagnosed with depression are undertreated, and some studies suggest that patients might receive antidepressants, even though they do not fulfil the International Classification of Diseases 10 criterion for depression.