Depression in a primary care clinic: the prevalence and impact of an unrecognized disorder.

Background: This study assesses depression among primary care patients, the relationship between depression and functioning, and how frequently depressed individuals receive mental health treatment.
Methods: Two hundred and thirteen participants completed a diagnostic interview and measures of functional impairment and service utilization.
Results: Sixty-two clinic patients were depressed, and depressed individuals experienced significant functional impairment even after controlling for comorbid anxiety disorders and medical problems. However, less than 40% of depressed individuals were receiving treatment for depression. Severity of impairment was related to likelihood of receiving mental health services.
Limitations: Several factors to consider when evaluating this study are the cross-sectional design, use of self-report data, and lack of random sampling.
Conclusions: These results show that depression has a unique and significant impact on the functioning of primary care patients, and emphasize the need for identification of depressive disorders in primary care.