Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• MARTUCCI, M.
• BALESTRIERI, M.
• BISOFFI, G.
• BONIZZATO, P.
• COVRE, M. G.
• CUNICO, L.
• DE FRANCESCO, M.
• MARINONI, M. G.
• MOSCIARO, C.
• PICCINELLI, M.
• VACCARI, L.
• TANSELLA, M.

Titel

Evaluating psychiatric morbidity in a general hospital: a two-phase epidemiological survey

Ist Teil von

• Psychological medicine, 1999-07, Vol.29 (4), p.823-831

Ort / Verlag

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Erscheinungsjahr

1999

Quelle

Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background. This study aimed to assess psychiatric morbidity and to collect information on disability, life events and family support in a representative sample of patients admitted to a general hospital. Methods. On the basis of information collected in a pilot study a systematic sample of patients consecutively admitted to seven general medical and seven surgical wards of the Academic General Hospital of Verona was selected and interviewed using a two-phase screening procedure and standardized instruments (GHQ-12, HADS, BDQ and CIDI-PHC). All data were analysed using appropriately weighted logistic regression procedures. Results. A total of 1039 patients completed the GHQ-12 and 298 (28·7%) were high-scorers: 363 patients were interviewed with CIDI-PHC. The prevalence of ICD-10 cases was 26·1%. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were current depression (12·8%) and generalized anxiety disorder (10·8%), followed by alcohol related disorders (5%). A higher prevalence of ICD-10 cases was found in medical wards, among females, patients older than 24 years, unemployed and separated/divorced people. Life events were associated with psychopathology, and so was the number of disability days. Although 49·8% of ICD-10 cases were identified by the hospital doctors as having a psychological disorder, 23·1% of ICD-10 cases were referred to the liaison psychiatric service. Conclusion. The results of the present study stress the need to collect epidemiologically-based data on psychological disorders and their recognition not only in general practice, but also in general hospital settings, in order to have a more complete picture of the pathways to specialist care.