Extent of depressive symptomatology among patients seeking care in a prepaid group practice

A total of 1921 consecutive adult patients seen in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Obstetrics-Gynaecology at a prepaid group practice completed a self-administered depressive symptomatology questionnaire, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). New health practitioners and physicians, who were not mental health specialists, blindly judged the presence or absence of depressive symptomatology. Twenty-one per cent of the patients suffered from depressive symptoms according to the CES-D, but only 15% of these were judged to be depressed by their physician or new health practitioner. The variables which predict the recognition of depressive symptomatology are discussed.