Correlates of depression in primary care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychiatry
• General Practice

Background:

• Depression is a prevalent mental health concern in the United States.
• Primary care settings serve as a crucial point for identifying and addressing depression.
• Understanding the interplay between depression and other conditions is vital for effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of depression in primary care patients.
• To examine the associations between depression and substance use, conduct disorders, and sociodemographic factors.
• To identify high-risk groups for depression within primary care populations.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1898 patients across 88 primary care offices.
• The health-habits questionnaire included assessments for depression based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised (DSM-III-R) criteria.
• Data were collected for both lifetime prevalence and prevalence within the 30 days preceding the survey.

Main Results:

• Recent depression (30-day prevalence) was identified in 21.7% of women and 12.7% of men.
• Lifetime depression rates were 36.1% for women and 23.3% for men.
• High-risk groups for depression included young women engaging in substance use, individuals with antisocial personality disorder, and those with a family history of mental health problems.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of individuals seeking primary care have recently experienced depression.
• Approximately one in five women and one in ten men visiting primary care physicians reported recent depressive symptoms.
• These findings underscore the importance of depression screening and intervention in primary care settings.