Rates of depression among men attending high-HIV-caseload general practices in Australia

Abstract

This paper compares rates of current depression among men attending high-HIV-caseload general practices in New South Wales and South Australia. Current depression was assessed by the treating general practitioner (GP), using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and by patient self-reporting. The study found that GPs, the PHQ-9 screening tool and patients were equally likely to identify current depression. High rates of depression were observed among the men attending general practices, with the highest rates among men with HIV and men who did not identify as either heterosexual or homosexual.