A Descriptive Survey to Determine the General Population's Prevalence of Depression in a Chosen Village in the Kanyakumari District

Abstract

The World Health Organization states that depression is a major contributor to disability, affecting millions of individuals worldwide, including 5% of adults in India. The study’s goals are to evaluate the socio-demographic characteristics of the general population and ascertain the prevalence of depression in that community. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to administer a descriptive survey to 200 individuals from the general population in order to determine the prevalence of depression and gather data on socio-demographic characteristics.

Prevalence of depression was found to be more common among females. 90% of the subjects were literate, and only 10% of the subjects were illiterate. Among them, 70.5 % were married, and 10% unmarried, 19.5% widowed. Based on their occupation, 38.5% were housewives, 35% were laborers, 4.5% were students, 22% were farmers. Prevalence of depression is increased among the age group of 35–55 years, followed by the age group of 5676 years. The present study had shown the prevalence of minimal depression among general population was 4% and mild depression was 20.5% prevalence of moderate depression was found to be 49.5%. 24.5% was moderately severe, and 3.5% had severe depression.