Is it true that gps are not trained to deal with depression?

A bit, but not a lot: Mental health is a specialty and just as GPs are exposed to basics of other specialties and certainly can do screenings and follow-up care, the treatment of a particular specialty condition is best guided by one w/ the extra years of training + massive experience. Depression varies from very mild to very severe and is often complicated by other Dx's. GPs may not have enough time to talk about it.