Symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of South African patients living with a chronic illness

The present study reports on a survey conducted among 119 patients receiving treatment for diabetes or hypertension at semi-rural community health care clinics in South Africa. Participants completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist ( HSCL) and the Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI). On the HSCL, 38.5 per cent of the sample scored in the elevated range. On the BDI, 19.8 per cent of the sample fell in or above the moderate range for depression. The results suggest that a considerable proportion of the sample may be experiencing significant psychiatric difficulty, for which they may not be receiving treatment.