Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-nqxm9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-13T06:43:10.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seasonal affective disorder among primary care attenders and a community sample in Aberdeen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

John M. Eagles ,
Samantha M. Wileman ,
Isobel M. Cameron ,
Fiona L. Howie ,
Kenneth Lawton ,
Douglas A. Gray ,
Jane E. Andrew  and
Simon A. Naji
John M. Eagles*
Affiliation:
Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen
Samantha M. Wileman
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
Isobel M. Cameron
Affiliation:
327 Great Western Road, Aberdeen
Fiona L. Howie
Affiliation:
Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen
Kenneth Lawton
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
Douglas A. Gray
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
Jane E. Andrew
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
Simon A. Naji
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen
*
John M. Eagles, Consultant Psychiatrist, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Cornhill Road, Aberdeen AB25 2ZH
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

There are no large published studies of the prevalence of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) among UK populations.

Aim

To determine the prevalence of SAD among patients attending a general practitioner (GP).

Method

Patients aged 16–64 consulting their GPs in Aberdeen during January were screened with the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). SPAQs were also mailed to 600 matched patients, who had not consulted their GP during January. Surgery attenders who fulfilled SPAQ criteria for SAD were invited for interview to determine whether they met criteria for SAD in DSM–IVand the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression– Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH–SAD).

Results

Of 6161 surgery attenders, 4557 (74%) completed a SPAQ; 442 (9.7%) were SPAQ cases of SAD. Rate of caseness on the SPAQ did not differ between surgery attenders and non-attenders. Of 223 interviewed SPAQ cases of SAD, 91 (41%) also fulfilled DSM–IVand SIGH–SAD criteria.

Conclusions

There is a high prevalence of SAD among patients attending their GPs in January in Aberdeen; this is likely to reflect a similar rate in the community.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 5 , November 1999 , pp. 472 - 475
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

Declaration of interest

Funded by the Scottish Office Department of Health and Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust.

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn, revised) (DSM–III–R). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM–IV). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Blazer, D. G., Kessler, R. C. & Swartz, M. S. (1998) Epidemiology of recurrent major and minor depression with a seasonal pattern: the National Comorbidity Survey. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 164–167.Google Scholar
Dam, H., Jakobson, K. & Millerup, E. (1998) Prevalence of winter depression in Denmark. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 97, 1–4.Google Scholar
Eagles, J. M., Mercer, G., Boshier, A. J., et al (1996) Seasonal affective disorder among psychiatric nurses in Aberdeen. Journal of Affective Disorders, 37, 127–135.Google Scholar
Eagles, J. M., McLeod, I. H. & Douglas, A. S. (1997) Seasonal changes in psychological well-being in an elderly population. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 53–55.Google Scholar
Eagles, J. M., Naji, S. A., Gray, D. A. et al (1998) Seasonal affective disorder among primary care consumers in January: prevalence and month by month consultation patterns. Journal of Affective Disorders, 49, 1–8.Google Scholar
General Register Office for Scotland (1993) 1991 Census: Report for Grampian Region, p. 51. Edinburgh: HMSO Google Scholar
Gray, D. P. (1994) General practice and psychiatry: a general practice perspective. In Psychiatry and General Practice Today (eds Pullen, I., Wilkinson, G., Wright, A., et al), pp. 3–21. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists and Royal College of General Practitioners.Google Scholar
Hamilton, M. (1967) Development of a rating scale for primary depressive illness. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 6, 278–296.Google Scholar
Hegde, A. L. & Woodson, H. (1996) Prevalence of seasonal changes in mood and behavior during the winter months in Central Texas. Psychiatry Research, 62, 265–271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kasper, S., Wehr, T. A., Bartko, J. J., et al (1989a) Epidemiological findings of seasonal changes in mood and behavior: a telephone survey of Montgomery County, Maryland. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 823–833.Google Scholar
Kasper, S., Rogers, S. L., Yancey, A., et al (1989b) Phototherapy in individuals with and without subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 837–844.Google Scholar
Magnussen, A. (1996) Validation of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Journal of Affective Disorders, 40, 121–129.Google Scholar
Magnussen, A. & Stefansson, J. G. (1993) Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder in Iceland. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 941–946.Google Scholar
Nayyar, K. & Cochrane, R. (1996) Seasonal changes in affective state measured prospectively and retrospectively. British Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 627–632.Google Scholar
Okawa, M., Shirakawa, S., Uchiyama, M., et al (1996) Seasonal variation of mood and behaviour in a healthy middle-aged population in Japan. Acto Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 94, 211–216.Google Scholar
Partonen, T. & Lönnqvist, J. (1996) Prevention of winter seasonal affective disorder by bright light treatment. Psychological Medicine, 26, 1075–1080.Google Scholar
Raheja, S. K., King, E. A. & Thompson, C. (1996) The seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire for identifying seasonal affective disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 41, 193–199.Google Scholar
Rosen, L. N., Targum, S. P., Terman, M., et al (1990) Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes. Psychiatry Research, 31, 131–144.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, N. E., Genhart, M., Sack, D. A., et al (1987) Seasonal affective disorder: relevance for treatment and research of bulimia. In Psychobiology of Bulimia (eds Hudson, J. L. & Pope, H. G.), pp. 205–208. Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Suhail, K. & Cochrane, R. (1997) Seasonal changes in affective states in samples of Asian and White women. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 32, 149–157.Google Scholar
Terman, M. & Williams, J. B. W. (1994) SAD assessment tools revised. Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms, 7, 23.Google Scholar
Williams, J. B. W. Link, M. J., Rosenthal, N. E., et al (1988) Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale – Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH–SAD). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.