Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:640-644
Copyright © 1989 by American Psychiatric Association
Influence of nondepressive psychiatric symptoms on whether patients tell a doctor about depression
KK Bucholz and SH Dinwiddie
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
The authors studied the other recent psychiatric symptoms of 218 subjects
who reported having had depressive episodes within the past year to
determine the influence of the nondepressive symptoms on whether the
subjects discussed the depressive episodes with a doctor. Symptoms of panic
and obsessive-compulsive disorders encouraged discussion of a depressive
episode, but symptoms of drug abuse/dependence inhibited such discussion.
The findings illustrate the bias in studying only patients who seek
treatment, point to groups of persons who may need psychiatric help, and
provide insight into the complex process of help seeking.
