Affective disorders and depression as measured by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Beck Depression Inventory in an unselected adult population.

Rates, demographic correlates, and differential symptomatic expression as a function of gender of affective disorders and depression as measured by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were examined in 298 paid adult volunteers selected by the random digit dialing method. According to the DIS, 7.7% were diagnosed as current affective disorder, 6% as current primary unipolar depression, 23.5% as lifetime affective disorder, and 19.5% as lifetime primary unipolar depression. According to the BDI, 19.8% scored depressed: 10.7% as mildly, 5.0% moderately, and 4.0% severely depressed, respectively. Of 11 demographic variables whose relation to DIS diagnoses were examined in a multivariate context, only occupation was correlated significantly with current primary unipolar depression. Of the same variables whose relation to BDI score was examined, education and race were correlated significantly with BDI score. There was no evidence of differential symptomatic expression as a function of gender as measured by lifetime diagnosis of primary unipolar depression on the DIS.