Base rates for panic and depression according to the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire: a population-based study

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 82; no. 2; pp. 271 - 276
• Main Authors: Rief, Winfried, Nanke, Alexandra, Klaiberg, Antje, Braehler, Elmar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.10.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Depression; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Germany; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Panic disorder; Panic Disorder - diagnosis; Panic Disorder - epidemiology; Panic Disorder - psychology; Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ); Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reference Values; Sociodemographic risk factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Techniques and methods; Europe; Germany; Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ); Depression; Panic disorder; Sociodemographic risk factors; Social environment; Abbreviated form; Panic; Questionnaire; Education level; Sex; Anxiety disorder; Mental health; Epidemiology; Public health; Psychometric standardization; Human; Mood disorder; Prediction; Psychometrics; Economic status; Medical screening; Test reliability; Item analysis; Test validation; Marital status; Sociodemographic factor; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2003.11.006

Background: Recently published studies analyzing sensitivity and specificity scores have demonstrated that the brief version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ [J. Am. Med. Assoc. 282 (1999) 1734]) is a useful tool for the detection of panic disorder and depression. Methods: We aimed to get normative data for the brief PHQ in a representative population-based sample. Sociodemographic data and PHQ data from 2066 subjects were included. Results: Base rates for PHQ criteria of major depression were 3.8% with the typical 1:2 ratio between males and females (frequency of minor depressive forms: 9.2%). Normative data for the depression total scores were reported. Marital status, education and family income were significantly associated with depression, even after controlling for age and sex. For panic disorder, base rates were 1.8%; age, gender, and marital status were significant predictors. Frequency for panic attacks as a less restrictively defined version were 4.5%. Conclusions: The normative data provide a framework for the interpretation of depression and panic scores of the PHQ.