Prevalence and management of depression among patients with chronic disease: A cross sectional study

Depression is a common comorbidity for patients with chronic health conditions, but its detection and treatment in the context of usual care is significantly inadequate. Therefore, it is of interest to determine the prevalence of depression and the management of depression among an adult population living with chronic health conditions attending outpatient services. A validated depression screening tool was administered to assess symptoms of depression, and management of depression was assessed with structured questionnaires. The findings revealed that depression was highly prevalent, and depression was frequently underdiagnosed and under-treated within the cohort, which highlights the need for screening for depression and applying the integrated care management model based on evidence-based guidelines into primary care contexts.