New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Flawed research methods exaggerate the prevalence of depression

Date:
January 15, 2018
Source:
Canadian Medical Association Journal
Summary:
The common practice of using patient self-report screening questionnaires rather than diagnostic interviews conducted by researchers has resulted in overestimates of the prevalence of depression, according to a new analysis.
Share:
FULL STORY

The common practice of using patient self-report screening questionnaires rather than diagnostic interviews conducted by researchers has resulted in overestimates of the prevalence of depression, according to an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

"These studies misrepresent the actual rate of depression, sometimes dramatically, which makes it very difficult to direct the right resources to problems faced by patients," said Dr. Brett Thombs of the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University, the study's lead author. "Self-report questionnaires are meant to be used as an initial assessment to cast a wide net and identify people who may be struggling with mental health issues. However, we need to conduct a more thorough evaluation in order to determine an appropriate diagnosis and whether there may be other issues to address."

The authors suggest that researchers often use self-report questionnaires because diagnostic interviews are time-consuming and expensive to administer.

"In addition," said Thombs, "Studies with dramatic results tend to be accepted by higher impact journals and attract more attention from the public than studies with more modest findings. This may also encourage some researchers to report results from questionnaires rather than conducting appropriate diagnostic interviews."


Story Source:

Materials provided by Canadian Medical Association Journal. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Brett D. Thombs, Linda Kwakkenbos, Alexander W. Levis, Andrea Benedetti. Addressing overestimation of the prevalence of depression based on self-report screening questionnaires. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2018; 190 (2): E44 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.170691

Cite This Page:

Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Flawed research methods exaggerate the prevalence of depression." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 January 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180115094237.htm>.
Canadian Medical Association Journal. (2018, January 15). Flawed research methods exaggerate the prevalence of depression. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180115094237.htm
Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Flawed research methods exaggerate the prevalence of depression." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180115094237.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES