| Summary: | Depression prevalence rates for this rural community were greater than rates reported for the Canadian population. The depression prevalence rate for the Aboriginal population was not greater than that for the non-Aboriginal population. Not all patients with depression–anxiety disorders are prescribed antidepressants, and not everyone prescribed an antidepressant has a depression–anxiety disorder. The higher suicide rates reported for First Nations people may be more closely related to something like binge-drinking behaviour than to higher depression rates in this population. Limitations This study was based on a retrospective chart review performed by one clinician. It was difficult to make precise DSM-IV diagnoses on the basis of chart data provided. The results are for one rural community; the applicability to other communities is unclear. Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression–anxiety disorders and the degree to which physicians prescribed antidepressants for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations living in a remote rural community in British Columbia in 2001. Methods: To obtain data for our main outcome measures, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of 2375 patients living in the Bella Coola Valley as of September 2001 and attending the Bella
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