Centre for Policy on Ageing



Dimensional perspective on the recognition of depressive symptoms in primary care — the Hampshire Depression Project 3
Author(s)	Chris Thompson, Kevin Ostler, Robert C Peveler
Journal title	British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 179, October 2001
Pages	pp 317-323
Keywords	Depression ; Symptoms ; Diagnosis ; General practice ; Hampshire.
Annotation	Use of a categorical definition of depression in primary care may overstate the extent of the problem. This study investigates the relationship between severity and recognition of depression, and its modification by patient and practitioner characteristics. An association study of 414 primary care consultations from a representative sample of 156 general practitioners (GPs) in Hampshire found a curvilinear relationship between severity of depression and practitioners' ratings. One case of probable depression was missed in every 28.6 consultations. Anxiety and unemployment altered the chances of recognition, but age, gender and deprivation scores did not. GPs generally appear to recognise depression better than previous studies have suggested. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-011019206 A
Classmark	ENR: CT: LK7: L5: 8H
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.