Primary Care Screening of Depression and Treatment Engagement in a University Health Center: A Retrospective Analysis

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study analyzed a primary care depression screening initiative in a large urban university health center. Depression detection, treatment status, and engagement data are presented. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 3,713 graduate and undergraduate students who presented consecutively for primary care services between January and April 2006. METHODS: A standardized 2-tiered screening approach for an inception cohort of students utilizing primary services. Primary care providers were trained to triage students with depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Six percent of participants had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSD). Severe depressive symptoms were found in less than 1.0% of participants. Male rates of severe depressive symptoms were more than double that of females. Only 35.7% of untreated depressed participants started treatment within 30 days following identification. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic primary care depression screening in a college health center is a promising approach to identify untreated students with depression. More study is needed to improve rates of treatment engagement.