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The impact of depression is unevenly distributed in the population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Dag Isacson ,
Kerstin Bingefors  and
Lars von Knorring
Dag Isacson*
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Uppsala University, Box 580, BMC, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
Kerstin Bingefors
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Uppsala University, Box 580, BMC, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Lars von Knorring
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +46 18 471 4294; fax: +46 18 471 4223. E-mail address: Dag.Isacson@farmaci.uu.se (D. Isacson).
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Abstract

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of depression on quality of life in the general population by studying its effects on i) health-related quality of life (HRQoL), ii) health state utilities, and iii) the burden of disease in the population according to age, sex, marital status, education, economy and employment.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey in the County of Uppsala, Sweden. A statistical sample of the general population aged 20–64 years (N = 4506) was used. Information on current state of depression was obtained by self-report. HRQoL was measured using Short Form 36 (SF-36). The time trade-off (TTO) method was used to measure health state utilities. The decrease of total health state utilities associated with depression in the population was used as a measure of burden of disease.

Results

Depression was reported by 4.0% of the population. Those with depression scored significantly lower (P < 0.001) than those without on all eight of the SF-36 domains. The depressed group also rated their health state utilities significantly lower than the others: 0.796 versus 0.933 (P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis of decrease in utilities with various medical disorders, depression was associated with the greatest decrease (–0.090, P < 0.001). Persons with depression accounted for 10.9% of the total decrease in utilities in the whole population, but this proportion varied according to the specific subgroup. For example, 16.4% and 8.6% of the total burden of disease was linked to depression among single and married people, respectively. The corresponding figures for those with the lowest and highest incomes were 15.0% and 7.9%, respectively. Among the unemployed, persons reporting depression accounted for 15.3% of the decrease in utilities in contrast to 4.9% among the employed.

Conclusions

Depression has a strong impact on the quality of life and total disability in the general population. Further, the impact of depression is unevenly distributed in the population.

Keywords

DepressionEpidemiologyBurden of diseaseHealth-related quality of lifeUtilitiesTime trade-off
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , May 2005 , pp. 205 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier SAS 2005

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