Minor depression in family practice: functional morbidity, co-morbidity, service utilization and outcomes.

Background: Minor depression is a disabling condition commonly seen in primary care settings. Although considerable impairment is associated with minor depression, little is known about the course of the illness. Using a variety of clinical and functional measurements, this paper profiles the course of minor depression over a 1 year interval among a cohort of primary care patients.

Does a coexisting anxiety disorder predict persistence of depressive illness in primary care patients with major depression?

We assessed whether a coexisting anxiety disorder predicts risk for persistent depression in primary care patients with major depression at baseline. Patients with major depression were identified in a 12-month prospective cohort study at a University-based family practice clinic. Presence of an anxiety disorder and other potential prognostic factors were measured at baseline.

Screening for anxiety and depression in primary care with the Duke Anxiety-Depression Scale.

Background And Objectives: Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent and underdiagnosed in primary care. This study tested the seven-item Duke Anxiety-Depression Scale (DUKE-AD) in primary care adult patients as a screener for anxiety and depression as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R).

Methods: Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and odds ratios were used to test screener accuracy, and sensitivities and specificities were used to test screener efficiency in patients with anxiety and/ or depression.

Subthreshold psychiatric symptoms in a primary care group practice.

Background: The authors define 6 groups of subthreshold psychiatric symptoms that do not meet the full criteria for a DSM-IV Axis I disorder and examine the clinical significance of these symptoms in an outpatient primary care sample.

Methods: The subjects were 1001 adult primary care patients in a large health maintenance organization. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and functional impairment, including scores on the Sheehan Disability Scale, were collected at the time of the medical visit, and a structured diagnostic interview for DSM-IV disorders was completed by telephone within 4 days of the visit.