Prevalence of Depression in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Using PHQ-9 Scale: A Clinic Based Cross Sectional Study

Background: The prevalence of depression is higher in patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) is an instrument designed to diagnose depression by the criteria identified by 4th Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Aim and Objective: To assess the depression in diabetic population using PHQ-9 scoring system and its association with some sociodemographic correlates. Material and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study involving 46 consecutive patients presenting at a tertiary care centre, aged >18yrs and diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The PHQ-9 questionnaires were given to patients who were included in the study. Data was entered in MS excel sheet and analysed by using SPSS 24.0 version, IBM USA. Results: Prevalence of major depression in our study was 41.3%. Out of 19 patients with major depression, Majority was from 51-60 and above 60 years age group i.e., 7 (36.8%) each. There is statistically significant difference in the proportion of males and females between two categories of depression. (p<0.05).Females were more prone to major depression as compared to males. Conclusion: The prevalence of major depression in our study was 41.3%. Females were more prone to depression in our study being having more PHQ-9 score. PHQ-9 seems to be acceptable in our study being easy to administer and for quick assessment of depression in busy clinical schedule.