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Screening for psychiatric disorder in general practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

David Skuse*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Paul Williams
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr David skuse, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.

Synopsis

The extent of psychiatric morbidity was investigated in a consecutive series of patients attending a south London general practitioner. The GP identified a psychiatric component in the reason for consultation in 40% of the sample, and he regarded 24% as ‘psychiatric cases’. The estimated true prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in the sample was 34%. These data are used as the basis for a theoretical discussion of prescriptive screening strategies for psychiatric disorder in general practice.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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