Beiser DG, et al. - In this prospective cohort study, researchers examined a non-psychiatric emergency department (ED) population to determine the rate and severity of major depressive disorder (MDD), and assessed how it is associated with subsequent ED visits and hospitalizations. The study sample consisted of 999 patients; 27% screened positive for MDD, indicating high rates of depression among the convenience sample of English-speaking adult ED patients presenting with non-psychiatric complaints. Depression was noted to be independently associated with increased risk of subsequent ED utilization and hospitalization. ED patients in need of urgent psychiatric resource referral could be identified using standardized assessment tools that may provide the rapid, accurate, and precise classification of MDD severity.