Prevalence of depression and its correlates in a general medical practice

A screening scale for depression, based on HSCL depression scale items, was used during a one-year period in a rural general medical practice. The estimated prevalence of depression was 8.8% for severe (probable depressive disorder) depression, 18.3% for moderate (depressive syndrome) depression, and 28.3% for mild depression. For all three levels of depression, there were significant relationships to sex and to marital status. For the higher level of depression, probable depressive disorder, there were significant relationships to age and to retirement status; these relationships were not evident at the moderate or the mild levels of depression.