BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information concerning the prevalence and detection of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in UK populations. AIMS: To determine the prevalence, detection and current treatment of SAD within a general population sample. METHOD: The study was conducted in conjunction with the Outcomes of Depression International Network (ODIN) project, a large European study of depression. At the North Wales arm of the project, 1999 adults were randomly selected from a health authority database and screened by post for SAD with the Seasonal Patterns Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Those scoring above cut-off were offered diagnostic interview, after which diagnosis of SAD according to DSM-IV criteria could be made. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of SAD was calculated to be 2.4% (95% CII.4-1.3). The majority of identified cases had not previously received a diagnosis of SAD from their general practitioner, although over half had been diagnosed with other forms of depression and had been prescribed antidepressant medication. CONCLUSIONS: Although SAD was found to be common in this general population sample it appeared to be largely underdiagnosed and/or misdiagnosed.
BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information concerning the prevalence and detection of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in UK populations. AIMS: To determine the prevalence, detection and current treatment of SAD within a general population sample. METHOD: The study was conducted in conjunction with the Outcomes of Depression International Network (ODIN) project, a large European study of depression. At the North Wales arm of the project, 1999 adults were randomly selected from a health authority database and screened by post for SAD with the Seasonal Patterns Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Those scoring above cut-off were offered diagnostic interview, after which diagnosis of SAD according to DSM-IV criteria could be made. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of SAD was calculated to be 2.4% (95% CII.4-1.3). The majority of identified cases had not previously received a diagnosis of SAD from their general practitioner, although over half had been diagnosed with other forms of depression and had been prescribed antidepressant medication. CONCLUSIONS: Although SAD was found to be common in this general population sample it appeared to be largely underdiagnosed and/or misdiagnosed.