Abstract:
Aim. To measure the rate of detected and undetected depression in patients attending an Auckland generalpractice. Method. At their consultation conclusion, general practitioners (GPs) asked all consecutive patients oversixteen years attending for consultation to participate in ahealth and mood questionnaire. A researcher administeredthe Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to consentingparticipants. The GPs previously recorded whether theyconsidered these patients depressed. Results. Response rate among patients was 81% (253/314). The BDI found a 13.8% (35/253) 95% CI (9.6-18.5)depression prevalence among patients. GPs picked up 51%of cases (sensitivity 0.51 and specificity 0.91). Mäoripatients were no more likely to be depressed than non-Mäori but they were less likely to be receiving or havereceived treatment with antidepressants. Conclusion. The rate of depression in this practice was higher than an earlier study suggesting the true rate may be>10%. GPs see more depressed patients than other healthprofessionals, therefore improvement in detection andmanagement of depression in primary care is important.More work is needed on the difference between Mäori andnon-Mäori in the use of antidepressants