Many antidepressant drugs are prescribed by generalist physicians. However, few details are available concerning the circumstances in which these drugs are utilized in primary care settings. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to document the clinical and economic characteristics of ambulatory family medicine patients receiving antidepressant medications. METHODS: The medication profiles of the electronic medical records (EMR) of all Family Medicine patients at the Medical College of Georgia were evaluated. Only patients prescribed an antidepressant drug within the previous six months were reviewed. Patient records were reviewed in the order in which they were entered into the EMR system. RESULTS: The electronic records of 116 patients were reviewed by the same physician researcher. Demographic and clinical data for 89 (76.7%) female and 27 (23.3%) male patients were evaluated. The mean age for these patients was 46.5 years. Sixty-two (53.4%) patients were white, thirty-eight (32.8%) were black. Although noted as risk factors for the development of depression, marital status and the use of alcohol were not noted in 47 (40.5%) and 62 (53.4%) of patients, respectively. The most common co-morbid conditions were hypertension (47.4%), GERD (20.7%), arthritis (20.7%), anxiety (18.1%), diabetes mellitus (17.2%), and pain syndromes (45.7% ). Thirty-one (26.7%) patients, received amitriptyline. Twenty-two (71%) received less than 50mg per day. Fourteen (12%) patients received 2 antidepressants, most often an SSRI in the morning with a sedating agent at bedtime. Of the 26 patients with available financial data, 25 patients used a co-payment of $5.00 or less. CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressant drugs are frequently prescribed in primary care patients with multiple co-morbid conditions (mean 3.9).