Mental illness in general health care

This book presents the largest international study of psychological disorders seen in primary health care. Centres in fourteen countries participated in this investigation, including Brazil, Chile, China, India, Nigeria and the USA as well as several European countries. The study has shown how people with mental disorders present their problems to doctors and how likely their disorders are to be detected and treated.

The book gives a detailed account of findings in the different centres and provides a new insight into the nature of psychological disorders seen in primary health care and the factors which determine their recognition and treatment. The study showed a strong relationship between mental disorders and social disability in each centre and included information obtained from patients themselves, from the researchers and from the treating physicians.

Interpretations of the data have been reached jointly by experts from different countries. This book is of primary interest to psychiatrists, general practitioners and students of medicine. It will also appeal to epidemiologists, social psychologists, public health personnel and health care administrators.