Prevalence and treatment of depression in primary care

January 01, 0001

Prevalence and treatment of depression in primary care

Depression and depressive symptoms are commonly seen in primary care. These US researchers characterized the prevalence, treatment, and control of depressive symptoms in a primary care setting. They analyzed a sample of adults (n = 4836) from 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Depressive symptoms were characterized using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

The researchers found: "Of the sample, 20.1% reported significant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) score, 5), the majority of whom had mild depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) score, 5-9). Even among individuals with severe depressive symptoms, a large percentage (36.9%) received no treatment from a mental health professional or with antidepressant medication. Of those taking antidepressants, 26.4% reported mild depressive symptoms and 18.8% had moderate, moderately severe, or severe depressive symptoms.."

The researchers concluded: "Despite greater awareness and treatment of depression in primary care settings, the prevalence of depressive symptoms remains high, treatment levels remain low, and control of depressive symptoms are suboptimal. Primary care providers need to continue to focus their efforts on diagnosing and effectively treating this important disease."

These data serve as a stark reminder to screen for and treat depression in primary care settings.


For the full abstract, click here.

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 24(1):33-38, January 2010 © 2011 American Board of Family Medicine
Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Depressive Symptoms in the United States: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2005-2008. Ruth S. Shim, Peter Baltrus, Jiali Ye, and George Rust. Correspondence to: Ruth Shim: [email protected]

Category: P. Psychological. Keywords: depression, PHQ-9, prevalence, treatment, NHANES, epidemiological study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 18 January 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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