Service Utilization and Social Morbidity Associated With Depressive Symptoms in the Community

摘要: Objective. —To estimate service utilization and social morbidity in the community associated with depressive symptoms. Estimates were made using an epidemiologic measure, population attributable risk. Population risk is a compound measure reflecting both morbid to individual disorder prevalence of community. Design. —Epidemiologic survey. Participants. —Eighteen thousand five hundred seventy-one adults Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study interviewed from complex random sample US communities. Outcome Measures. —Suicide attempts, use psychoactive medications, self-reported physical emotional health, time lost work, general medical services or emergency departments for problems. Results. —Major depression-dysthymia (lifetime prevalence, 6.1%) symptoms 23.1%) increased as measured by outcome variables. On basis, however, much more burden impairment was clinical conditions depression dysthymia. The equal association results greater percentages (not disorder) follows: department (11.8%) consultations problems (21.5%); tranquilizers (14.6%), sleeping pills (21.0%), antidepressants (22.2%); fair poor health (15.3%); days work (17.8%); suicide attempts (25.0%). Conclusions. —Estimates indicated that physicians actually provided persons than formally defined disorders. Subclinical depression, consequence high public problem. Attention diagnostic treatment issues indicated. ( JAMA . 1992;267:1478-1483)