Background
: Recently, various effective and rapid acting treatment modality for depression have been massively developed. Thus, early detection and treatment of depression is vitally important to improve community mental health. Using BDI, primary practitioner can easily find depressive symptoms that can complicate other physical diseases. Finding and treating depression early can improve general prognosis of physical diseases. The purpose of this study was to find out the prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms and their correlates among residents in Jeju and to provide baseline data.

Methods : The study subjects were 1,086 residents consisting of 531 males and 555 females of 10-Li in rural Jeju island and the data was gathered from trained interviewer using BDI and questionnaire about sociodemographic factors and health behavior. Depression was defined as BDI total score over 23 in males and over 24 in females. Depressive symptom was defined as BDI STEN score over 7.

Results : The prevalence of depression in rural Jeju island was 5.8% in total, 4.9% among males, 6.5% among females. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 16.7% in total, 14.9% among males, 18.4% among females. The risk factors of depressive symptoms were self-assessed living standard, education years, perceived health status, self-assessed level of stress, perceived social support, body image, breakfast intake, and sleep. Sex, marital status and drinking habit were not statistically significant risk factors.

Conclusion : The prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms in rural Jeju island was very low, especially among females. With intensive mental health service for those who are in low socioeconomic class and low education level and those who have poor health behavior, early detection of depressive symptoms from community will be important to improve general health status.

Background
: Although elevated serum cholesterol level has been considered as a significant health problem because it is associated with coronary artery disease, the relation with various health problem (esp. depression) from low serum cholesterol is not well known in Korean people. The authors tried to observe the degree of depression in low serum cholesterol group for its better management.

Methods : The study population was selected among adults who visited the National University Hospital Health Screening Center between May and July 1998. They had no history of cancer and liver disease and no significant medical illnesses which may affect blood cholesterol level. Using the Korean standard BDI, we evaluated the degree of depression scale.

Results : The number of subjects with low serum cholesterol was 77 (males 42, females 35) and that of the control group was 82 (males 47, females 34). The low serum cholesterol group had a statistically significantly higher BDI score(12.2±8.2) than the control group(7.6±6.3) (P<0.05). In males the mean BDI score of 11.9±7.4 in the low serum cholesterol group was significantly higher than the mean score of 5.0±3.8 in the control group(P<0.5), In females, there was no significant difference in depression scale between both groups.

Conclusion : Since the male low serum cholestrerol group had a high depression scale, the multi disciplinary approaches which include psychological supports may be required to manage and treat them. And persistent, significant association between low serum total cholesterol level and psychological problems suggests that further long-term study on the association of low choleserol with depression is necessary.

Background
: Unlike that of adults, depression of adolescents need screening because learning ability, physical growth and social adaptation are seriously affected. But Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), the assessment tool for adults, is generally used for adolescents as well because only few are available. The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability of a Korean version of BDI(K-BDI) as a screening instrument of adolescent depression.

Methods : From May 1, 1998 to June 1, 1998 we visited two high schools (one male, one coeducation) in Sungnam city and K-BDI questionnaires were given. The subjects were 1,107 high school students. This study was to evaluate the reliability of BDI and to find out factor structure through analysis.

Results : The sex distribution of subjects was 929(83.9%) males and 178(16.1%) females. Cronbach's internal consistency and Spearman-Brown split half correlation coefficient was 0.85, 0.86, respectively, in the male group, 0.74, 0.86, respectively, in the female group and 0.85, 0.86, respectively, in the total group. By principal axis factoring, 4 factors were extracted. Which were factor I: Negative Self Attitude, factor II: Performance Difficulty, factor III: Guilty and Psychomotor Retardation, and factor IV: Somatic Symptom. All of the correlations between total BDI score and the individual items showed positive correlation(P<0.001).
Average BDI score and prevalence rate was 11.7±7.24, 11.4%, respectively, in the male group, 18.51±6.65, 34.8%, respectively, in the female group and 12.85±7.56, 15.2%, respectively, in the total group.

Conclusion : The results suggest that the K-BDI is a reliable tool in adolescence. Therefore, it may be used as a screening tool for adolescent depression.

Background
: Depressive symptoms are common in the medically ill patients although depressive disorders are considerably underdiagnosed and undertreated. Therefore, we examined the characteristics of depressive tendency in medical inpatients.

Methods : The patient group-144 subjects(90 males, 54 females)-were selected from medical inpatients of Kae Jung hospital. 158 subjects(106 male, 52 females) with no prior history of diseases were selected for the control group. The Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HRSD) was used for both groups from June to December 1997.

Results : The patient group had a significant higher BDI and HRSD score than controls(p<0.01). In the patients, 31.3% had scores on the BDI greater than the cutting score of 21, and 26.4% had scores on the HRSD greater than the cutting score of 22. In the patients, demographic and medical variables were evaluated with respect to depression: those in their 60's, with education level of elementary school and below, the divorced, bereaved and separated, and having duration of illness more than one year were statistically more depressed, but depression was not associated with sex, religion and medical diagnosis.

Conclusion : This study indicates that depressive tendency may be a common phenomena in medically ill patients. Therefore, we should suspect depression in the management of these patients.(J Koean Acad Fam Med 1998;19:549~558)