Mental Illness in General Health Care [antikvár]

PrefaceThis book presents the results of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborative Study on 'Psychological Problems in General Health Care'. It is the first time that a study of such magnitude and broad international involvement has ever been undertaken. Centres in 14 countries participated, representing different cultural and economic environments and working with different types of health structures and services. More than 25000 patients were screened and nearly 5500 were assessed in detail, using a set of instruments shown to be reliable in the different settings.I wish to take this opportunity to thank the patients for their cooperation; and all the staff in the many sites concerned, for their dedication and hard work which made it possible for us to achieve the goals of our study on time. My gratitude also extends to the governments and agencies which have supported the WHO in the conduct of this project as well as to Professor J.A. Costa e Silva, formerly Professor and Chairman of the Medical School, University of Rio de Janeiro, now the Director of the new Division of Mental Health, who initiated the idea of this project, and to Delagrange and Synthelabo which provided generous assistance to the project from its inception.The achievements of this study are many. It has provided comparable and meaningful data about the nature and frequency of mental disorders within primary health care, in different countries. It has shown that as much as 24% of all patients contacting general health services suffer from well-defined psychological disorders and that another 10% have psychological problems which may not meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis of mental disorder, but diminish quality of life and cause disability. Although many similarities were observed in the form and frequency of these mental disorders, there were also significant differences between the centres which would require further clarification. In all settings, psychological disorders were accompanied by disability, which, both in extent and severity, was usually greater than that caused by other illnesses observed in primary care.The study has not only provided important data, but has also paved the way for further work in the future. It has produced a set of standardized assessment methods to identify and evaluate psychological disorders in general health care