Mental disorders in primary health care: A study of their frequency and diagnosis in four developing countries

Author: Harding, T. W

Source:
Psychological Medicine, Vol 10(2), May 1980: 231-241
Examined 1,624 adults presenting at primary health facilities with physical complaints in Colombia, India, Sudan, and the Philippines to determine how many were suffering from mental disorders. Using stringent criteria to establish the presence of psychiatric morbidity, 225 cases were found, indicating an overall frequency of 13.9%. The health workers following their normal procedure correctly detected only one-third of the psychiatric cases. (31 ref)