National depression and anxiety indices for Australia

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to develop a National Depression Index and a National Anxiety Index to measure the depression and anxiety status of the Australian population, to compare data between surveys, and to compare relative risk in different population groups. Method: The indices were developed using cross-sectional data from four surveys: the 1997 and 2007 National Surveys of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB) and the 2001 and 2004/5 National Health Surveys (NHS). Six items from the K10 that most closely related to the ICD-10 diagnosis of depression and four that most closely related to a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder were used to create separate scales. The indices were developed ..