The prevalence of current major depression and dysthymia in a Norwegian general practice.

Existing studies suggest that depression is underdiagnosed and undertreated in general practice, and that the known prevalence of this mood disorder in a primary care population may represent only the "tip of the iceberg'. A total of 100 consecutive patients in an average Norwegian general practice were tested, of whom 31 patients were diagnosed as having a depressive illness in this study; 28 patients were diagnosed as having current major depression and three as having dysthymia. In total, 21 of the 28 patients with current major depression presented with other symptoms as their major complaints at the consultation in which they were tested. Twelve of these 21 patients had some kind of pain problem.