[Public perception of depression in the city of São Paulo].
OBJECTIVE
To assess how the population identifies symptoms of depression as well as its causes.


METHODS
A household survey with a probabilistic sample of 500 individuals, residing in the city of São Paulo and aged between 18 and 65 years, was conducted in 2002. A structured questionnaire including sociodemographic data and a vignette presentation describing a person with depression, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV and the International Classification of Diseases-10 was used during the in-person interviews carried out by trained, qualified interviewers. Two questions about the vignette's symptom identification were subsequently asked. The results were analyzed by means of logistic regression and variance analysis.


RESULTS
Symptoms presented were identified as "depression" by less than half of the sample. About 20% of respondents believed it was a mental illness. Low level of education was the only variable associated with identification as mental illness (OR=2.001, 95% CI: 1.275; 3.141, p=0.003). The most relevant causes were "unemployment" and "isolation". Biological, spiritual and moral causes were considered to be less relevant. Factors that most influenced the responses about causes were level of education, gender, personal experience with mental problems and identification as mental illness.


CONCLUSIONS
The population of the city of São Paulo in general, especially those with a higher level of education, views depression in terms of a psychosocial model that somewhat differs from the biomedical model.
Peluso
Erica de Toledo Piza
Ede T
Programa de Pós-Graduação, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. pelusoe@terra.com.br
Blay
Sérgio Luís
SL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001938:Brazil; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011639:Public Opinion; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors