Depression among general hospital patients in Greece

We estimated the prevalence of depression in 150 medical and surgical inpatients. Forty-three patients (29%) scoring at 14 or above on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were classified as depressed. An excess of women and white-collar workers and more stressful life events during the last 12 months were found among the depressed patients. Of the 21 BDI items, 6 differentiated the 43 medical-surgical depressed patients from a group of 43 psychiatric inpatients with a diagnosis of primary or secondary depression (Feighner's criteria). Medically ill depressed patients scored higher in social withdrawal, work inhibition and irritability but lower in loss of libido, sleep disturbance, and lack of satisfaction. Our results show rates of depression in a medical inpatient population in Greece comparable with those in other studies. The use of BDI may help assessment of depression in general hospital patients.     

成年癫痫患者抑郁、焦虑状况及生活质量调查

目的调查成年癫痫患者抑郁、焦虑的患病率及可能的危险因素;评价抑郁及焦虑对癫痫患者生活质量的影响。方法采用Beck抑郁问卷(BDI)、贝克焦虑量表(BAI)及癫痫患者生活质量量表-31(QO-LIE-31中文版),对200例成年癫痫患者的抑郁、焦虑情况及生活质量进行评估。结果在200例癫痫患者中43.5%伴发抑郁,28.5%伴发焦虑,23%伴发抑郁及焦虑。发作频繁、无有薪职业是癫痫患者伴发抑郁的重要危险因素,无有薪职业是癫痫患者伴发焦虑的危险因素。抑郁组及抑郁伴焦虑组的QOLIE-31总分及各项评分均低于非抑郁非焦虑组(P=0.000);焦虑组的QOLIE-31总分(P=0.004)及发作的担忧(P=0.019)、认知功能(P=0.009)方面的得分均低于非抑郁非焦虑组。结论抑郁和焦虑是癫痫患者常见的精神共病,严重影响了癫痫患者的生活质量。积极控制发作、为癫痫患者提供更多的就业机会是改善癫痫患者生活质量的重要因素。     

Relationship between depression and intractability of seizures

Patients with epilepsy have a higher prevalence of depressive disorders than the general population, but the relationship between seizure rates and depression has not been adequately studied. We used the Beck Depression Inventory to evaluate depressive symptoms in 143 consecutive epilepsy patients from outpatient clinics. Patients who were seizure free more than 6 months were considered not intractable. Thirty-six percent were neither intractable nor depressed, 43% had intractable epilepsy and were not depressed, 10% had intractable epilepsy and were depressed, and 11% did not have intractable epilepsy and were depressed. Patients with epilepsy have a higher prevalence of depression than the general population, but the intractability of the seizure disorder does not seem to be an independent risk factor for the occurrence of depression. There is no relationship between the severity of depression and monthly seizure rate.     

Prevalence of depression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor disorders

Background: Research suggests the prevalence of severe depression in ALS is <20%. In contrast, studies have reported that severe depression affects 40–50% of patients with other neurodegenerative motor conditions (e.g. multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease). The comparison with such disorders has generated a clinical impression that patients with ALS have surprisingly low rates of depression. However, comparisons with such disorders do not take into account the markedly different pathological, physical and behavioural profiles associated with these disorders. To assess further the extent to which ALS is associated with a low prevalence of depression, we compared the prevalence of depression in patients with ALS to that in patients with neuromuscular disorders with more comparable disease profiles. Methods: The Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II), the Major Depression Inventory (MDI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the ALS Functional Rating Scale‐Revised were sent to 212 patients from a tertiary referral Motor Nerve Clinic in London, UK. Results: Data were obtained from 51 people with ALS and 39 with other neuromuscular disorders. The non‐ALS group included patients diagnosed with disorders that are characterized by motor neurone dysfunction and/or a decline in everyday function. Analyses revealed no between‐group differences on severity and prevalence rates of depression according to the BDI‐II, HADS Depression Subscale and MDI. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the impression that patients with ALS have lower rates of depression than patients with other varied neuromuscular disorders.     

Anxiety and depression in bronchial asthma

The aim of the study was to establish the frequency and follow the clinical course of depression and anxiety in patients with bronchial asthma. 57 patients (37 atopic and 20 nonatopic) with mild and moderate bronchial asthma and 53 subjects matched for age and sex as control groups were included in the study. The following questionnaires: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to evaluate anxiety and mood state. The level and prevalence of anxiety and depression were significantly higher in both groups of asthmatics in comparison to healthy subjects. Symptoms were mild and moderate. Nonatopic patients were more depressed and anxious than atopics.     

Prevalence of depression in a 12-month consecutive sample of patients with ALS

There is an impression both in clinical practice and in research literature that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) possess 'heroic stoicism with a low frequency of depression'. Reliance on specific interview methods may have contributed to differing estimates of mood disorder in people with ALS. The objective of the current study was to compare prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in ALS using different assessment tools. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were sent to a 12-month consecutive sample of 190 patients with ALS attending a tertiary referral clinic in the UK. Data were collected from 104 patients with ALS. Using BDI scores, 44% were categorized as not depressed, 37% were mild-moderately depressed, 13% were moderately-severely depressed, and 6% were severely depressed. In contrast, the HADS depression subscale identified 75% as not depressed, 13% were in the borderline range, and 13% were categorized as meeting 'caseness' for depression. Twenty-five percent of the patients were using antidepressant medication. The estimated prevalence of mood disorder amongst patients with ALS may vary significantly depending on the measure used.     

The prevalence of depression in two districts of Uganda

AbstractBackground Little information is available on the prevalence of depression in Uganda. Given the recent political history of Uganda, depression may be common.Method The aim was to estimate the point prevalence of probable clinical depressive disorder among the general population in two contrasting districts of Uganda. Translated versions (in Madi and Lusoga) of the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to a systematic sample of adult residents in the Adjumani and Bugiri districts of Uganda.Results The overall prevalence of probably clinically significant depression (BDI score of 20–39) was 17.4%. Significantly higher rates were found in women and in Adjumani District.Conclusion Depression is common in Uganda and particularly in the more troubled and less socially cohesive district of Adjumani.     

Prevalence and risk factors for depression in a rural setting. Results from the North Wales arm of the ODIN project

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorders are common, and result in high individual and societal costs. The majority of research assessing depression has occurred in urban areas. There is a paucity of research examining the prevalence of and risk factors for depression in rural general practice. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for depression in a rural area of North Wales in the context of a large multi-centre European study. METHOD: One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine people randomly selected from a health authority database underwent a two-phase screening method to identify depression. The first phase involved patients completing a self-rating postal questionnaire (the Beck Depression Inventory or BDI). In the second phase, those scoring above cut-off underwent detailed diagnostic interview (Schedules of Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry or SCAN). The SCAN diagnostic interview can generate either DSM-IV or ICD-10 diagnoses; the DSM-IV classification system was used here. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred and thirty-nine (63 %) people responded to the initial screening questionnaire. The prevalence rate for all DSM-IV depressive disorders was calculated to be 6.1 % (95 % CI 4.1, 9.0) whereas the prevalence rate for DSM-IV major depressive disorder was 5.1 % (CI 3.37, 7.66). Multivariate analysis indicated that several variables were related to BDI caseness, including gender, employment status, social support and negative life events. CONCLUSION: Levels of reported depression are relatively low in North Wales compared to those observed in a neighbouring urban area using comparable data collection methods. A number of factors traditionally associated with increased risk from depression were predictive of scoring above cut-off on the BDI in a rural North Wales sample.     

Poststroke depression in acute phase after stroke.

We studied factors associated with acute poststroke depression in 100 patients, aged 27-70, 2 weeks after their first clinically significant stroke. Depressive symptoms were relatively common (27% Beck Depression Inventory > or =10), but the prevalence of major depression was only 5.6%. Older patients were most vulnerable to poststroke depression. Patients with left hemisphere lesion had no more depression than other patients, but when the lesion was in the left hemisphere or in the brainstem, stroke severity was associated with depression.