Does a single item question identify elderly medical inpatients who report significant depressive symptoms?

SIR—Several studies have shown that elderly medical inpatients frequently report significant depressive symptoms, defined as six or more symptoms using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) [1–3]. Although these patients might not all meet the criteria-based diagnosis of major depression (e.g. ICD10 or DSMIV), several studies suggest that even minor and subsyndromal depression that do not meet these criteria are associated with substantial functional and medical morbidity, and could Letters to the Editor