Abstract:
Introduction. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 151 million people suffer from
depression, the number of women affected being twice as high as that of men. Finally, 15% of depressed patients
commit suicide. Depression is a condition that has a significant negative impact on quality of life, daily
functioning and productivity. The WHO also estimates that in 2030, depressive disorders will be the leading
cause of disability, confirming the need to build an adequate system of services that could meet the needs of the
population.
Aim of study. Screening for depression among patients at the level of PHC. Assessing the prevalence of
depressive disorders based on the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 questionnaires, collecting and analyzing data, creating the
premises for new strategies and approaches in the early diagnosis and management of depressive disorders.
Methods and materials. In this research 55 patients were included. All patients were investigated at the primary
health care level, in a health center, and they went to the family doctor with other complaints. The tools of
analysis used were clinical data of the patients and results from general questionnaires and special for depression
screening PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 questionnaires. Patients were divided into 5 groups depending on the severity of
the depression level.
Results. The most patients 43,6% detected with mild depression severity. These patients mention 2-3 depression
personal and environmental risk factors, 36,3% healthy patients, without depressive disorders. These patients
mention 0-1 depression personal and environmental risk factors, 12,7% moderate depression. These patients
mention 3-4 depression personal and environmental risk factors, 5,5% moderately severe depression. These
patients mention 4-5 depression personal and environmental risk factors. 1,9% severe depression. These patients
mention 6 and more depression personal and environmental risk factors. Patients with suicidal thoughts were
found in all 5 groups, regardless of the severity of depression. This allows us to assume that suicidal tendencies
are caused by the influence of factors from the environment, and depend on the characteristics of the personality,
temperament and individual response of the patient to various stress factors.
Conclusion. In addition to the high prevalence of depression in patients from the primary care level, there are
other arguments in favor of screening for depression, namely: At the primary care level in patients, depression
often coexists with physical illness and pain, which make it difficult to recognize depression. In primary care
patients, as well as in the general population, a lot of people with depression remain untreated, negatively
impacting productivity and economic costs. Depression is not only the most common mental health problem,
but also a serious condition that requires expensive and long-term treatment and frequently becomes the most
common cause of suicide. During the global pandemic of COVID-19, we can see an increase in the number of
patients suffering from depressive disorders and there is a need to develop accessible and effective methods for
depression screening and diagnosis, which can be applied to all levels of healthcare.
