Depression and the Use of Conventional and Nonconventional Interventions by Rural Patients

BACKGROUND: Depression is a serious condition that is often ignored or overlooked by health care profes-sionals. Improvement in the recognition, treatment, and prevention of this disease is a public health priority, especially in rural areas. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were (a) to determine if participants in rural areas from four sub-groups—patients with breast cancer, caregivers, patients with myocardial infarction, and patients who have had a stroke—were depressed, and (b) to compare and identify conventional and nonconventional interventions being implemented for depression. DESIGN: A comparative descriptive design was used. Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Index, the authors questioned 120 participants. RESULTS: Forty-four (37%) of the participants in this study reported depression; 70 % were not being treated with antidepressants. Unemployment and marital status were significant predictors of depression. No differ-ences among groups were identified in the treatment of depression. CONCLUSION: Health care providers should be aware that screening and treatment for depression are neces-sary, especially in rural areas where isolation, poverty, and lack of mental health services are common. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [2003]. 9, 151-158.) According to the National Institute of Mental Health, de-pression affects 1 out of every 10 people in the United States, with an estimated cost of $44 billion in treatment and lost productivity. Depression is the leading cause of disabil-ity in the United States (“The Invisible Disease: Depression,” 2001). Due to the negative impact of depression on quality of life and morbidity, depression is predicted to be the leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020 (Murray &amp