Prevalence of major depression in primary care practices in Hungary

Depression is frequent in primary care, but correct diagnosis of these disorders is a challenge for general practitioners. Our current study describes the point prevalence of affective syndromes meeting DSM-IV criteria for depression in 984 adult patients visiting primary care practices. General practitioners applied the Beck Depression Inventory and the PRIME-MD screening tool. In case of all depressive disorders according to DSM-IV criteria (major depression, major depression in partial remission, dysthymia, minor depression) current prevalence rate was 18.5%, while point prevalence of only major depressive episode was 7.3%. Using the Beck Depression Inventory, general practitioners could diagnose current depression with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 56%, while in case of major depressive episode sensitivity was 83% and specificity was 23%. These results parallel earlier data from Hungary as well as from other countries and they also support that the PRIME-MD and the Beck Depression Inventory may be a useful screening tool for depressive disorders in general practice.