title: Analysis of the terms used by general practitioners to characterize patients considered by them as depressed. A prospective study on 682 patients.
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the terms used by general practitioners (GPs) to describe the patients considered by them to be depressed. 682 patients were diagnosed as depressed by 79 GPs selected at random in four regions of France. The frequency of the diagnosis of depression made by GPs in the total patient population was 3.6-5%. The GPs were asked to describe the main symptoms of these patients on a plain chart. The percentage of use of each term was calculated in each region. In all the regions, the most frequent symptoms were insomnia (31.8%), fatigue (29.9%) and anxiety (24.6%). The results suggest that the three main terms used by GPs to describe depression differ from those used by psychiatrists.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Department, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cremniter
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Guelfi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fourestié
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fermanian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D000078329:Workforce