Correlation between diagnosis of depression and symptoms present in primary care patients

Abstract

Depression is a chronic disease with a high prevalence that normally is episodic and an average episodic duration of 16 weeks. No analyses that evaluate the correlation between the evolution of the episode and its appearance have been found. The aim of this study is to analyze the correlation between symptomatic progression (appearance, maintenance, remission of different symptoms) and the evolution of the diagnosis of depression (onset, maintenance, and remission) in a cohort of patients diagnosed with and without major depression.

A prospective cohort study was performed with a one year follow-up in which a random sample of 741 subjects attending primary care was interviewed. Diagnosis of depression was made according to DSM-IV criteria and symptoms presented were analyzed. These subjects were reevaluated at 6 months and 12 months.

Depressed mood state, decreased interest or anhedonia and symptoms related to sleep (insomnia or hypersomnia), agitation, feeling of guilt, fatigue or energy loss, are consistent with the diagnosis. The rest of the symptoms display an evolution independent of the diagnostic trends.

In Primary Care, it is important to know which are the key symptoms in the evolution of the diagnosis in order to achieve full remission of depression and avoid maintenance of residual symptoms that can become prodromal.