There are three lessons for GP practice from this paper: when case finding among patients with chronic conditions, physical inactivity and obesity should suggest the possibility of depression; when treating mild to moderate depression in obese patients, referral to a group exercise programme is likely to be a better option than prescribing antidepressants, which may themselves cause further weight gain; when following up our depressed patients, there is a case for monitoring their BMI (and physical activity levels) as well as the PHQ-9.