How depression influences the receipt of primary care services among women: a propensity score analysis

Many patients with psychiatric disorders do not receive appropriate medical services, whereas others receive unnecessary medical services. This study investigated whether female primary care patients with depression were more or less likely to receive preventive/diagnostic tests.

Preventive/diagnostic tests for females with depression or hypertension or both over a 5-year period were extracted from an electronic medical record (EMR) used at a university-based family practice clinic. Tests extracted included cholesterol screening, mammogram, Pap smear, and colonoscopy.

Of 860 included in the analysis, 270 were diagnosed with depression, 380 with hypertension, and 210 with both conditions. Women with depression were significantly more likely to receive colonoscopies and Pap smears than women with hypertension. Hypertensive patients were significantly more likely to have their cholesterol checked.

Somatization associated with depression may lead to more preventive and diagnostic testing among female primary care patients.