Identification of depression by medical and surgical general hospital physicians

TY - JOUR

T1 - Identification of depression by medical and surgical general hospital physicians

AU - Balestrieri, M

AU - Bisoffi, G

AU - Tansella, M

AU - Martucci, M

AU - Goldberg, D P

PY - 2002

Y1 - 2002

N2 - Little information is available about identification of mental distress by general hospital physicians (GHPs). We compared, among patients admitted in a General Hospital, depressed patients with patients identified as depressed by the GHPs. A random sample of 1,039 patients were screened with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Afterwards, all high scorers and a probability sample of low scorers were interviewed with a variety of measures, including the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Primary Care version (CIDI-PHC). GHPs recorded the presence of depression on a Physician Encounter Form. patients were more likely to have depression detected on medical than surgical wards. Of the 195 patients who had a depression, the GHPs assessed 32.5% as depressed. A number of factors associated with CIDI diagnoses were not significantly associated with being identified by the GHPs - female gender, two or more life events in the previous year, and a previous history of depression. The identification by the GHPs was associated with a higher probability of contacts with medical professionals and of antidepressant drug prescriptions during the year which followed the first interview. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

AB - Little information is available about identification of mental distress by general hospital physicians (GHPs). We compared, among patients admitted in a General Hospital, depressed patients with patients identified as depressed by the GHPs. A random sample of 1,039 patients were screened with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Afterwards, all high scorers and a probability sample of low scorers were interviewed with a variety of measures, including the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Primary Care version (CIDI-PHC). GHPs recorded the presence of depression on a Physician Encounter Form. patients were more likely to have depression detected on medical than surgical wards. Of the 195 patients who had a depression, the GHPs assessed 32.5% as depressed. A number of factors associated with CIDI diagnoses were not significantly associated with being identified by the GHPs - female gender, two or more life events in the previous year, and a previous history of depression. The identification by the GHPs was associated with a higher probability of contacts with medical professionals and of antidepressant drug prescriptions during the year which followed the first interview. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0036157824

U2 - 10.1016/S0163-8343(01)00176-1

DO - 10.1016/S0163-8343(01)00176-1

M3 - Article

VL - 24

SP - 4

EP - 11

JO - GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY

JF - GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY

IS - 1

ER -