Abstract
There is literature demonstrating elevated prevalence of depression in primary care. Yet there remains a need for a brief depression screen designed and evaluated specifically for use among medically ill patients. Our objective was to develop and validate a brief, unobtrusive screen for depression among severely medically ill long-term disability claimants. The study sample consisted of 480 long-term disability claimants, less than 55 years of age, with one of the following illnesses: cancer, diabetes, myocardial infarction, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. Each subject completed a questionnaire that included 26 potential screening items. A subset of subjects was administered the SCID, which served as the gold standard for the DSM-IV depression and dysthymia diagnoses. The Brief Depression Screen, a three-item screen for major depressive disorder and dysthymia, was developed. About 34 percent of the sample met criteria for major depressive disorder or dysthymia. The Brief Depression Screen detected 75 percent of those subjects in this sample. Furthermore, nearly half of the subjects with positive screen results met criteria for depression or dysthymia. These results are comparable to those of the eight-item Burnam screen, but not as sensitive as the more widely used, twenty item CES-D. The Brief Depression Screen was developed and evaluated for use with severely ill long-term disability claimants. In practice, a positive screen for depression is to be followed with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment that could be conducted by a trained clinician. Further research is warranted to determine whether the identification and treatment of depression in disability claimants with non-psychiatric medical illnesses will facilitate return to work, even in the presence of comorbid medical illnesses.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.