Recognition of depression by family medicine residents: the impact of screening

Abstract

Psychiatric problems are often encountered in general medical settings, yet physicians frequently fail to identify such problems. Validated questionnaires assessing psychiatric symptoms have been shown to be more sensitive than physicians in detecting cases of psychiatric morbidity. This study deals with depression, the psychiatric problem most frequently seen in primary care settings. A self-administered depression questionnaire was used to alert residents to possible cases of depression. Relay of information from the questionnaire significantly increased resident recognition of depression.