Screening for Depression in a Community Sample. Understanding the Discrepancies Between Depression Symptom and Diagnostic Scales

Discrepancies between the symptoms of depression, as found in a self-report questionnaire (Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression Scale [CED-D]), and the diagnosis of major depression as made by the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) occurred in a community survey. The discrepancies can be explained by the subject's psychiatric or medical disorders other than depression, by nay saying during the interview, or by the exclusion criteria of the RDC (duration of symptoms, role impairment, or help seeking) that are not part of the CES-D. Results show that the discrepancies can be readily explained.