Affective disorders among elderly general practice patients. A two-phase survey in Brescia, Italy

Clinician-identified depression in community settings: concordance with structured-interview diagnoses

BACKGROUND

Relatively little is known about the prevalence and correlates of overdiagnosis of depression in community settings. This study examined the extent to which individuals with clinician-identified depression in the community meet the criteria for DSM-IV major depressive episodes (MDE) and characteristics of these individuals.

METHODS

In a sample of 5,639 participants with clinician-identified depression drawn from the 2009-2010 United States National Survey of Drug Use and Health, the proportion of participants who met the 12-month MDE criteria, ascertained by a structured interview, and variations in MDE diagnosis across different groups of participants were examined. Mental health profiles and service use of participants who met the MDE criteria were compared to those who did not meet these criteria.

RESULTS

Only 38.4% of participants with 12-month clinician-identified depression met the 12-month MDE criteria. Older adults were less likely than younger adults to meet the criteria - only 14.3% of those 65 years old or older met the criteria, whereas participants with more education and those with poorer overall health were more likely to meet the criteria. Participants who did not meet the 12-month MDE criteria reported less distress and impairment in role functioning and used fewer services. A majority of both groups, however, were prescribed and used psychiatric medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression overdiagnosis and overtreatment is common in community settings in the USA. There is a need for improved targeting of diagnosis and treatments of depression and other mental disorders in these settings.

International comparison of clinicians' ability to identify depression in primary care: meta-analysis and meta-regression of predictors

BACKGROUND

There are international differences in the epidemiology of depression and the performance of primary care physicians but the factors underlying these national differences are uncertain.

AIM

To examine the international variability in diagnostic performance of primary care physicians when diagnosing depression in primary care.

DESIGN OF STUDY

A meta-analysis of unassisted clinical diagnoses against semi-structured interviews.

METHOD

A systematic literature search, critical appraisal, and pooled analysis were conducted and 25 international studies were identified involving 8917 individuals. A minimum of three independent studies per country were required to aid extrapolation.

RESULTS

Clinicians in the Netherlands performed best at case finding (the ability to rule in cases of depression with minimal false positives) (AUC+ 0.735) and this was statistically significantly better than the ability of clinicians in Australia (AUC+ 0.622) and the US (AUC+ 0.653), who were the worst performers. Clinicians from Italy had intermediate case-finding abilities. Regarding screening (the ability to rule out cases of no depression with minimal false negatives) there were no strong differences. Looking at overall accuracy, primary care physicians in Italy and the Netherlands were most successful in their diagnoses and physicians from the US and Australia least successful (83.5%, 81.9%, 74.3%, and 67.0%, respectively). GPs in the UK appeared to have the lowest ability to detect depression, as a proportion of all cases of depression (45.6%; 95% CI = 27.7% to 64.2%). Several factors influenced detection accuracy including: collecting data on clinical outcomes; routinely comparing the clinical performance of staff; working in small practices; and having long waits to see a specialist.

CONCLUSION

Assuming these differences are representative, there appear to be international variations in the ability of primary care physicians to diagnose depression, but little differences in screening success. These might be explained by organisational factors.

Diagnostic validity and added value of the Geriatric Depression Scale for depression in primary care: a meta-analysis of GDS30 and GDS15

BACKGROUND

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) has been evaluated in hospital settings but its validity and added value in primary care is uncertain. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis analysing the diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility and added value of the GDS in primary care.

METHODS

A comprehensive search identified 69 studies that measured the diagnostic validity of the GDS against a semi-structured psychiatric interview and of these 17 analyses (in 14 publications) took place in primary care. Seven studies examined the GDS(30) and 10 studies examined the GDS(15). Heterogeneity was moderate to high, therefore random effects meta-analysis was used.

RESULTS

Diagnostic accuracy of the GDS(30) after meta-analytic weighting was given by a sensitivity of 77.4% (95% CI=66.3% to 86.8%) and a specificity=65.4% (95% CI=44.2% to 83.8%). For the GDS(15) the sensitivity was 81.3% (95% CI=77.2% to 85.2%) and specificity=78.4% (95% CI=71.2% to 84.8%). The fraction correctly identified (also known as efficiency) by the GDS(15) was significantly higher than the GDS(30) (77.6% vs 71.2%, Chi(2)=24.8 P<0.0001). The clinical utility of both the GDS(30) and GDS(15) was "poor" for case-finding (UI+ 0.29, UI+ 0.32 respectively). However the GDS(15) was rated as "good" for screening (UI- 0.75) whereas the GDS(30) was "adequate" (UI- 0.60). Concerning added value, when identification using the GDS was compared with general practitioners' ability to diagnose late-life depressions unassisted by tools, at a prevalence of 15% the GDS(30) had no added benefit whereas the GDS(15) helped identify an additional 4 cases per 100 primary care attendees and also helped rule-out an additional 4 non-cases per 100 attendees. Thus we estimate the potential gain of the GDS(15) in primary care to be 8% over unassisted clinical detection but at a cost of 3-4 minutes of extra time per appointment.

CONCLUSION

The GDS yields potential added value in primary care. We recommend the GDS(15) but not the GDS(30) in the diagnosis of late-life depression in primary care.

Clinical diagnosis of depression in primary care: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Depression is a major burden for the health-care system worldwide. Most care for depression is delivered by general practitioners (GPs). We assessed the rate of true positives and negatives, and false positives and negatives in primary care when GPs make routine diagnoses of depression.

METHODS

We undertook a meta-analysis of 118 studies that assessed the accuracy of unassisted diagnoses of depression by GPs. 41 of these studies were included because they had a robust outcome standard of a structured or semi-structured interview.

FINDINGS

50 371 patients were pooled across 41 studies and examined. GPs correctly identified depression in 47.3% (95% CI 41.7% to 53.0%) of cases and recorded depression in their notes in 33.6% (22.4% to 45.7%). 19 studies assessed both rule-in and rule-out accuracy; from these studies, the weighted sensitivity was 50.1% (41.3% to 59.0%) and specificity was 81.3% (74.5% to 87.3%). At a rate of 21.9%, the positive predictive value was 42.0% (39.6% to 44.3%) and the negative predictive value was 85.8% (84.8% to 86.7%). This finding suggests that for every 100 unselected cases seen in primary care, there are more false positives (n=15) than either missed (n=10) or identified cases (n=10). Accuracy was improved with prospective examination over an extended period (3-12 months) rather than relying on a one-off assessment or case-note records.

INTERPRETATION

GPs can rule out depression in most people who are not depressed; however, the modest prevalence of depression in primary care means that misidentifications outnumber missed cases. Diagnosis could be improved by re-assessment of individuals who might have depression.

FUNDING

None.

Clinical interventions for late-life anxious depression

Anxiety symptoms are frequently present in patients with late-life depression. The designation “anxious depression” has been used to describe major depressive disorder (MDD) accompanied by clinically significant but subsyndromal anxiety symptoms. MDD may also present comorbid with diagnosable anxiety disorders, although this presentation is less common in late life. Diagnosis of anxious depression in the elderly is complicated by several factors (eg, their tendency to experience and report psychiatric symptoms as somatic illness) and is associated with a more severe clinical presentation, increased risk for suicidal ideation, increased disability, and poorer prognosis. Standard pharmacotherapy for depression may be sufficient but for many patients must be modified or augmented. Psychosocial interventions may also be an important component in the treatment of these patients, although no specific psychosocial treatments have been developed for late-life anxious depression.

Prevalence of depression in older patients consulting their general practitioner in The Netherlands

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the prevalence of depression in older patients consulting their general practitioner.

AIM

To estimate the prevalence of major and minor depression in older GP attendees.

DESIGN

Cross sectional two-stage screening design.

SETTING

Seventeen GPs in urban and 41 GPs in rural settings.

METHODS

Data of The West Friesland Study were used. Five thousand, six hundred and eight-six GP attendees of 55 years and older filled in the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 items as a screening instrument for depression (response 62%). Of those screened positive on the GDS-15, 846 (77.5%) were interviewed using the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD). A random sample (n = 102) scoring below the threshold of the GDS-15 was interviewed to estimate the proportion of false negatives.

RESULTS

Major depression was prevalent in 13.7% and minor depression in 10.2% of the patients. Depressed patients were older (mean difference 0.7 years; p = 0.037), more often female (OR 1.3; p < 0.001) and lived more often in urban districts (OR 1.5; p < 0.001). Patients with major depression were younger (mean difference 1.9 years; p < 0.001) and more often female (OR 1.4; p = 0.026) than those with a minor depression. Only 22.9% of the patients with a major depression were treated with antidepressants.

CONCLUSION

Depression in older GP attendees is a very common health problem. Further research should focus on identifying those groups of patients with high risk of persistence of depression. This could help to focus the limited resources available in general practice to those patients in whom treatment is most urgently needed.

Mental health in older adult recipients of primary care services: is depression the key issue? Identification, treatment and the general practitioner

OBJECTIVES

Mental health services for older people in primary care are relatively underdeveloped. This study has sought to determine the nature and extent of mental health problems in older people presenting to primary care and to compare this with the detection and management of mental health problems by the primary health care team (PHCT).

METHOD

Participants were patients aged 65 years and above attending a representative inner city general practice. Screening tools included the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). The PHCT used a brief checklist to rate participants for the presence of mental health problems. Follow-up interviews using the Geriatric Mental State (GMSA), Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders in the Elderly (CAMDEX)-cognitive subscale (CAMCOG), National Adult Reading Test (NART), were carried out.

RESULTS

A high level of psychological morbidity was identified at screening (48.1%). There was a considerable degree of agreement between the HADS and GMSA, and the MMSE and GMSA at follow-up. Agreement rates between the PHCT and initial screening tools were low suggesting under-recognition of mental health problems at primary care level by the PHCT. Contributory factors included: short consultation times with a concentration on physical symptoms; few patients presenting explicitly with mental health problems; few decisions to treat or refer patients; and the general practitioners tended to monitor, or defer decisions.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found lower levels of severe mental health problems, especially depression, than reported elsewhere, but higher prevalence of psychological distress. High levels of physical and mental health co-morbidity were found. These findings suggest that planning for primary care services needs to adopt a flexible assessment model. The development of effective, time-limited protocols and screening tools to assist the PHCT in improving their identification rates is recommended. This needs to be supported by the availability of appropriate treatments for the psychological distress.

Late-life depression in primary care: a nationwide Italian epidemiological survey

OBJECTIVES

To assess 1-week prevalence of International Classification of Disease, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) current depression, physical comorbidity, associated disability, and healthcare utilization in older primary care patients. Comparisons with younger patients are also reported.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, two-phase epidemiological study.

SETTING

One hundred ninety-one primary care clinics.

PARTICIPANTS

Six hundred six patients aged 60 and older and 1,290 patients aged 14 to 59.

MEASUREMENTS

Screening was conducted using the General Health Questionnaire-12. Probable cases were assessed by primary care physicians (PCPs) with the World Health Organization ICD-10 Checklist for depression to diagnose ICD-10 current depression and subsyndromal depression. Other instruments included the Brief Disability Questionnaire and the PCPs' rating of the severity of physical illness.

RESULTS

The prevalence of current depression was 8.6%; 3.6% for subsyndromal depression (8.3% and 5.5%, respectively, in younger subjects). Current depression was associated with physical illness, physical disability, days lost from work or days unable to perform activities of daily living, and frequency of PCP consultation. Both physical illness and current depression independently resulted in increased disability, and, when the two conditions coexisted, there was a further increase in disability. Comorbidity with physical illness was the hallmark of late-life depression, distinguishing this condition from depression in younger patients. Moreover, depressed older patients were more disabled and had a higher frequency of PCP consultation than younger depressed patients.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of current depression does not decrease with age in primary care, in contrast to that seen in community studies. Late-life depression is characterized by physical comorbidity and associated with significant disability. The specific features of late-life depression call for intervention programs taking into account the relationship between the mental, physical, and functional aspects of this condition.

Characteristics and course of major depression in older primary care patients

OBJECTIVE

Identify the morbidity patterns displayed by older primary care patients experiencing depressive symptomatology who do and do not meet criteria for a major depression.

METHOD

Patients ages sixty and older presenting at two ambulatory internal medicine centers were administered the CES-D. Among those scoring > or = 11, 104 completed a comprehensive assessment of their psychiatric symptomatology, medical illness, and functional abilities. The assessment battery was again administered six months later.

RESULTS

The point prevalence of major depression in older primary care patients is estimated at 9 percent based on SCID interviews. Patients meeting criteria for this diagnosis compared to those who are symptomatic but not experiencing a major depression described more extensive psychopathology but also significantly more limitations in performing social and functional roles. At six-month follow-up, only 11.5 percent of those initially diagnosed with a major depression were considered fully recovered.

CONCLUSIONS

Major depression is a prevalent disorder in older primary care patients which affects their ability to perform expected social and physical roles. Mechanisms for delivering efficacious treatments in routine medical practice are of a high priority.

Diagnosis, treatment, comorbidity, and resource utilization of depressed patients in a general medical practice

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of depression on the utilization of health care resources, after adjusting for age and comorbidity from data obtained on routine clinical practice.

METHOD

The study is an observational cohort of 15,186 patients followed over a one-year period beginning December 1993. Comprehensive demographic, clinical, and utilization data were available from the computerized medical information system generated database of a general internal medicine practice in an urban academic medical center.

RESULTS

Four point seven percent of patients carried a provider-coded diagnosis of depression. With regards to utilization of health care resources, even after controlling for age and comorbidity, depressed patients had more primary care visits (5.3 vs. 2.9 visits, p < .001), higher rates of referral to specialists (1.1 vs. 0.5, p < .002), and radiologic tests (0.9 vs. 0.4 tests, p < .001). They had higher total outpatient charges ($1,324 vs. $701, p < .001) and total charges ($2,808 vs. $1,891, p < .001). Depressed patients also had longer length of stay when hospitalized (14.1 vs. 9.5 days, p < .002).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients diagnosed as depressed had significantly higher resource utilization of all types, even after controlling for the higher burden of comorbid medical illness associated with depression.

The recognition and treatment of depression in older people in primary care

OBJECTIVES

To examine general practitioners' (GP) awareness of depression in their elderly patients (aged over 65) and to identify characteristics of those patients least likely to be recognized and treated.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study comparing the clinical opinion of the GP with assessment of mental state using a validated interview schedule (the Short Comprehensive Assessment and Referral Evaluation).

SETTING AND SUBJECTS

510 elderly residents in the Gospel Oak area of Camden in North London registered with 28 GPs at 13 practices.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Agreement between GP view and patients interview. Evidence of active management measured by examining GP records for appointments, referrals and prescription of psychotropic mediation.

RESULTS

GPs were aware of depression in 36 (51%) of 70 depressed patients. Those least likely to be recognized were men, the married, those with high levels of physical handicap, those suffering from visual impairment and those who were least well educated. Of the 32 patients believed to be depressed, 12 (38%) were prescribed antidepressant medication and/or referred to mental health/social services.

CONCLUSIONS

Levels of recognition of depression were lower than other recent reports. These findings may reflect the continued debate about the most suitable management of the elderly depressed in primary care and stress the need for further evaluation of appropriate treatment strategies for this group.

Dementia and depression: Co-distribution and risk factors in a geriatric in- and outpatient sample

The results of a cross-sectional study on N = 212 elderly in- and outpatients are presented including sociodemographic data, physical findings, CAT-scan and EEG, as well as psychological tests for cognitive performance and affective symptoms. Forty-one percent of the patients showed mild and 13% severe cognitive deficits. Depression was diagnosed in 23% of the severely impaired and in 16% of the cognitively mildly impaired or unimpaired patients. Statistical analysis revealed that increasing age, female sex and low premorbid intellectual level were significantly associated with loss of cognitive function. Dementia and depression were not significantly associated with each other. The only risk factor for depression was a history of affective illness, but not cognitive deficits or social situation. CAT-scan and EEG were abnormal in 50% of the patients; however, this did not correlate with cognitive impairment or the presence of depression. From this study it is concluded that depression and dementia coincide frequently in elderly patients, but that they are associated with different risk factors It is suggested that dementia and depression are treated as two distinct disease entities.

The neuropsychological differentiation of patients with very mild Alzheimer's disease and/or major depression

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the usefulness of standardized neuropsychological tests in the psychometric differentiation of patients with very mild or mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and/or major depression presenting in a tertiary clinic with memory/attention complaints.

DESIGN

Controlled prospective clinicoexperimental design.

SETTING

Multidisciplinary Memory Clinic at Addenbroke's Hospital, Cambridge, England.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (12 with major depression and 12 without), 12 patients with major depressive illness but without AD, and 12 healthy control subjects, all matched for age, sex, education levels, and estimates of premorbid intellectual potential.

MEASUREMENTS

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Wechsler's Logical Memory (WLM) and Visual Reproduction (WVR), immediate and delayed reproduction, Wechsler's paired Associate Learning (WPAL), including the Easy and Hard subsets. Warrington's Recognition Memory for Faces (WRMF), Kendrick's Object Learning (KOLT) and Digit Copying (KDCT) Tests.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Minimum 2-year follow-up diagnosis.

RESULTS

Statistically, patients with very mild AD were distinguished clearly from those without AD on most tests of memory functions. Psychometrically, only KOLT and an index of retention on WLM and WVR were specific enough to avoid false positives, a requirement for second-stage tools. They also proved sensitive enough to suggest their role as first-stage instruments when screening for primary dementia in high-functioning patients scoring above the cut-point on MMSE.

CONCLUSIONS

As efforts intensify to develop more powerful means to identify patients with Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages, inclusion of specialist tests posing greater cognitive challenge than standard mental status scales has been one strategy. Our study explored how some of these neuropsychological tools behave psychometrically when analyzed on a single-case basis, and the results suggest a few are sensitive enough to boost detection above base rates alone while also being specific enough to reduce false alarms. Retention on Wechsler's Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction tasks and scores on Kendrick's Object Learning Test helped decrease the degree of ambiguity when cognitive profiles were used to distinguish depressed patients with Alzheimer disease from those without.