Clinical pathways for mood and anxiety disorders

Clinical pathways generally recommend potential steps in the diagnosis and treatment of a condition or procedure for individual patients. Their usefulness in guiding clinicians through the steps of nonresponse or partial response to interventions has been documented. They are predominantly management tools based on clinical information developed from evidence-based psychiatry, practice guidelines, or expert consensus statements. Pathways may not be appropriate for use in all circumstances, nor are they a substitute for the practitioner's experience and judgment. Their applicability must be assessed by the responsible practitioner in light of relevant circumstances presented by individual patients in order to optimize treatment.