Prevalencia y factores asociados a la depresión mayor en Andalucía

Abstract

Major depresion is a highly prevalent condition in the Granada population, affecting just over 1 in every 20 people at the time data were collected. Prevalence in this area is higher than expected considering previous reports in the Spanish population Reasons for this increased prevalence may be related to the effects of the economic crisis that struck the region with particular strength around the time our data were collected. The negative effects of the economic crisis on the mental health of the Spanish population have been explored in a number of studies, and one of them found that suicide rates had increased abruptly in Andalusia after the crisis. Unemployment is thought to mediate this association. Asociación between female sex and depression may be partially explained by the confounding effect of neuroticism. In the whole Andalusian population, prevalence of major depresion was slightly higher than that of Granada. Both figures are higher than those found in most of the previous community-based mental health surveys carried out in Spain. The economic recession and the cultural idiosyncrasies of the region may help explain this result, although methodological differences preclude a direct comparison of our results with those of previous studies. Major depresion is associated with poorer health status, obesity and chronic physical conditions. The low rate of antidepressant treatment may be indicating an underdiagnosis in the clinical practice. An adequate coordination between different medical departments is needed to grant the best possible mental and physical healthcare.