Unexpected high prevalence of 1-month depression in a small Brazilian community: the Bambui Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of depression in a community with 15 000 inhabitants in Brazil (Bambuí). METHOD: The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was applied in a random sample of 1041 residents aged 18+ years. RESULTS: The ICD-10 1-month, 1-year and lifetime prevalences of depression were 8.2% (95% CI:6.5-9.8), 10.0% (95% CI:8.2-11.8) and 15.6% (95% CI:13.4-17.8), respectively. Kappa coefficients comparing ICD-10 and DSM-III-R diagnoses were high (0.73-0.79). Female sex (OR=2.4; 95% CI:1.3-4.2), age 45-59 years (OR=3.5; 95% CI:1.7-7.2) and > or =60 years (OR=4.0; 95% CI:1.9-8.5) and being out of work (OR=2.1; 95% CI:1.2-3.6) were independently and positively associated with 1-month depression. CONCLUSION: The 1-month prevalence of depression was higher than that observed in similar studies in developed and developing countries. Depression may be a major unidentified disease of people living in small communities of Brazil and other developing countries, especially among older women.