Patients' reasons for not presenting emotional problems in general practice consultations.

BACKGROUND: Patients commonly do not mention emotional problems in consultations, and this is a factor in general practitioners' (GPs') difficulty in identifying psychological morbidity. AIM: To investigate patients' self-reported reasons for not disclosing psychological problems in consultations with GPs. METHOD: From nine general practices, a sample of patients with high General Health Questionnaire scores, who planned to present only somatic symptoms to the GP, were interviewed after their consultation with the GP. The interview covered their reasons for not mentioning emotional problems. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was administered. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were interviewed. Sixty-four patients confirmed that they had not mentioned emotional problems in the consultation; 23 (36%) of these gave primarily realistic reasons for not presenting emotional problems (e.g. able to cope with distress), 29 (45%) gave reasons related to psychological embarrassment or hesitation to trouble the GP, and 12 (19%) were mainly deterred by the doctors' interview behaviours. The latter group had significantly lower satisfaction scores than patients in the other two groups. In addition, patients in all groups commonly reported perceptions of lack of time (48%) and that there is nothing doctors can do to help (39%) as barriers to mentioning emotional problems. CONCLUSION: An understanding of patients' reasons for not disclosing emotional problems can assist in identifying subgroups of patients with different management needs.     

Differences in verbal behaviours of patients with and without emotional distress during primary care consultations

BACKGROUND: In primary care consultations patients with emotional distress tend to give verbal cues or symptom reports with psychological or psychiatric contents. This study examined the cue behaviour defined not only by psychological, but also by medical, social and life episodes related contents in patients with and without emotional distress, recognized and not by their GP. The GP's verbal behaviour in relation to patients' cue emission was also investigated. METHOD: For the six participating GPs two groups of matched pairs of patients (N = 238) were created. The two groups comprised either patients considered by GPs as being without emotional distress or patients considered as emotionally distressed. Within each pair, one patient was a case (GHQ-12 score > 2) and the other was the matched control (GHQ-12 score < 3). The medical interviews with these patients were transcribed and classified according to the Verona Medical Interview Classification System (VR-MICS). RESULTS: GHQ positive patients of both groups gave more cues in terms of total proportion than their matched controls (GHQ negative patients). The proportion of cues given by patients was related also to GP's verbal behaviour, increasing with closed psychosocial questions and decreasing with the use of active interview techniques. Attribution of emotional distress was more frequent when patients were high attenders and had a past psychiatric history. The content of cues changed in relation to GP's attribution: recognized patients gave more cues and more often with psychological content, patients not recognized as distressed gave mainly cues related to their lifestyle and life episodes. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the recognition of those emotionally distressed patients most likely to be missed GPs should increase their attention to cues related to life style and life episodes.     

Deprivation, psychological distress, and consultation length in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has shown the benefits of longer consultations in general practice. Approximately 40% of patients presenting to general practitioners (GPs) are psychologically distressed. Studies have shown that psychological morbidity increases with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. The combined effects of psychological morbidity and socioeconomic deprivation on consultation length are unknown. In addition, though it is known that doctors correctly identify half their distressed patients as such, the effect of consultation length on identification is unknown. AIM: To examine factors associated with presentation and recognition of psychological distress in GPs' surgeries and the interaction of these factors with consultation length. DESIGN OF STUDY: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Nine general practices in the West of Scotland, involving 1075 consultations of 21 full-time GPs. METHOD: The main outcome measures were patient psychological distress (measured by General Health Questionnaire-12), doctors' identification of psychological distress, consultation length, and Carstairs deprivation category scores. RESULTS: The mean consultation length was 8.71 minutes (SD = 4.40) and the prevalence of positive GHQ scores was 44.7%. Increasing GHQ (greater psychological distress) and lower deprivation category scores (greater affluence) were associated with longer consultations. Positive GHQ scoring increased with greater socioeconomic deprivation and also peaked in the 30 to 39 years age group. Recognition of psychological distress was greater in longer consultations (50% increase in consultation length associated with 32% increase in recognition). CONCLUSION: Increasing socioeconomic deprivation is associated with higher prevalence of psychological distress and shorter consultations. This provides further evidence to support Tudor Hart's 'inverse care law' and has implications for the resourcing of primary care in deprived areas.     

The impact of training in problem-based interviewing on the detection and management of psychological problems presenting in primary care.

BACKGROUND: The vast majority of mental health problems present to primary care teams. However, rates of under-diagnosis remain worryingly high. This study explores a GP-centred approach to these issues. AIM: To examine the impact of training in problem-based interviewing (BPI) on the detection and management of psychological problems in primary care. METHOD: The detection and management of psychological problems by 10 general practitioners (GPs) who had received PBI training 12 months earlier was compared with that of 10 control GPs matched for age, sex, clinical experience, and practice setting; and had originally applied for, but had not been able to attend, BPI training. Consecutive attendees at one randomly selected surgery undertaken by each GP were invited to participate in the study. Two hundred and eighty patients living in Newcastle upon Tyne met inclusion criteria and gave informed consent. The presence or absence of psychological problems was assessed using patient self-ratings on the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and blind independent observer ratings of the brief Present State Examination (PSE). Patient satisfaction with interviews was rated using the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS). After each consultation, the GPs (blind to subjective and observer ratings) recorded their assessment and management of the patients' problems on a Practice Activity Card (PAC). RESULTS: In comparison with control GPs, index GPs demonstrated significantly greater sensitivity in the detection of psychological problems in the GHQ-PAC ratings. The absolute decrease in misdiagnosis of GHQ cases was 9% and of PSE cases was 15%. Patients meeting GHQ criteria for caseness were more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication by an index GP than compared with a control GP. Length of interview did not differ between the groups and mean scores on the MISS suggested that patients attending PBI-trained GPs, compared with control GPs, were as satisfied or slightly more satisfied with their consultation. CONCLUSION: In comparison with control GPs, PBI-trained GPs were better at recognizing and managing psychological disorders. The potential benefits of BPI training are discussed in light of other attempts to improve mental health skills in primary care.     

Decisional strategies for the attribution of emotional distress in primary care

BACKGROUND: In primary care the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is used to provide an independent assessment of probable caseness of psychological disorder against which to test the ability of the general practitioner (GP) to recognize patients with current emotional problems. METHOD: The aim of the present study was to identify those clinical and psychosocial data on patients that increase the likelihood of GPs' attribution of emotional distress (GP model) and those that predict patients' emotional distress as defined by the GHQ-12 (GHQ model). The associations were explored using a classification tree technique (CHAID) and compared using bivariate logistic regression. Six GPs and 444 primary care patients took part. RESULTS: The accuracy indices of the hierarchical GP and GHQ models were 72% and 69% respectively. The availability of information on patients' psychopharmacological and psychiatric/psychological treatment in the last year was the most important predictor of attribution. Occupational, financial and housing problems and life events of loss were the most important predictors of the GHQ-12 case definition. The overall accuracy of the bivariate model was 73%. Compared with the GHQ-12, GPs gave significantly more importance to psychiatric treatment, psychopharmacological drug use and chronic illness. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that to improve the detection of current emotional distress in primary care patients GPs should pay foremost and systematic attention to social problems and recent life events of loss. These problems are important clues for the possible presence of emotional distress, whereas critical patient data, in particular psychiatric history and psychopharmacological treatment, increase the probability of attribution errors.     

Depression associated with multiple sclerosis. Looking beyond diagnosis to symptom expression

BACKGROUND: While it is recognised that patients with multiple sclerosis have a high lifetime risk for major depression, less is known about sub-syndromal presentations of affective instability, i.e., irritability, sadness and tearfulness and how these symptoms of emotional dyscontrol may affect a subject's overall degree of psychological distress. METHODS: A consecutive sample of 100 out-patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis attending their yearly neurological examination were assessed for major depression [Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-1)], pathological laughing and crying [Pathological Laughing and Crying Scale (PLACS)], self report questionnaires documenting mood [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)] and overall psychological distress [the 28 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)]. RESULTS: Seventeen percent of subjects received a diagnosis of major depression, 8% had pathological laughing and crying (PLC), 48% had symptoms of emotional dyscontrol without meeting criteria for a formal psychiatric diagnosis and 27% had minimal psychiatric symptoms (emotionally stable). The groups did not differ with respect to neurological variables. However, on a validated index of psychological distress (i.e., GHQ scores > or =5), there were significantly more subjects with major depression and emotional dyscontrol than those deemed emotionally stable (P<0.0001). LIMITATIONS: The small number of patients with PLC (N=8) curtailed statistical power when it came to analysing this sub-group. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be sensitive to complaints such as irritability and sadness in patients with multiple sclerosis, even when symptoms do not fulfil criteria for formal, psychiatric diagnoses. Our data demonstrate that such complaints are associated with levels of psychological distress that approach those experienced by patients with major depression. Given that these sub-syndromes of affective instability respond well to pharmacotherapy, detection and treatment can significantly reduce one important aspect of morbidity associated with multiple sclerosis.     

What constructs do GPs use when diagnosing psychological problems?

BACKGROUND: The mismatch between general practice and psychiatric diagnosis of psychological problems has been frequently reported. AIMS: To identify which items from the 28-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) best predicted general practitioners' (GPs') own assessments of morbidity and the proportion of time spent in consultations on psychological problems. DESIGN OF STUDY: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: General practice in southeast London. METHOD: Eight hundred and five consultations were carried out by 47 GPs, during which patients completed the 28-item GHQ, and doctors independently assessed the degree of psychological disturbance and the proportion of the consultation spent on psychological problems. Data from the consultations were entered into a stepwise multiple regression to determine the best GHQ-item predictors of GP judgements. RESULTS: GPs' assessments of the degree of psychological disturbance were best predicted using only seven GHQ items, and their perceptions of the proportion of time spent on psychological problems were predicted by only four items. Items were drawn predominantly from the 'anxiety and insomnia' and 'severe depression' sub-scales, ignoring the 'somatic' and 'social dysfunction' dimensions. CONCLUSION: In diagnosing psychological disturbance GPs ignore major symptom areas that psychiatrists judge important.     

A study of the presentation of somatic symptoms in general practice by patients with psychiatric disturbance.

A computerized questionnaire was used to collect information on the presentation of symptoms in all 125 new patients presenting to one general practitioner in the course of one year who were considered to be suffering clinically significant psychiatric disturbance. Comparison was made between the 73 (58%) patients presenting with psychological symptoms and the 52 (42%) patients presenting with somatic symptoms for which no physical explanation was evident at the time of the consultation. Important differences emerged between the groups. Those patients presenting somatic symptoms had lower scores on the tests of psychiatric distress (indicating severity), fewer individual symptoms and fewer severe symptoms than patients presenting with psychological problems. This group also had statistically significant differences in personality profile and reported significantly fewer social problems. Prognosis for both groups was similar in that patients in both groups were equally likely to have a normal psychiatric distress score after six months. Adequate management of somatizing patients calls for vigilance and for improved detection and negotiating skills. Reviewing the computer results with patients helped them discuss their symptoms and the system allowed the general practitioner not only a clinical assessment of these patients' problems but a measure of psychological, social and personality components.     

The workload of GPs: consultations of patients with psychological and somatic problems compared

BACKGROUND: GPs report that patients' psychosocial problems play a part in 20% of all consultations. GPs state that these consultations are more time-consuming and the perceived burden on the GP is higher. AIM: To investigate whether GPs' workload in consultations is related to psychological or social problems of patients. DESIGN OF STUDY: A cross-sectional national survey in general practice, conducted in the Netherlands from 2000-2002. SETTING: One hundred and four general practices in the Netherlands. METHOD: Videotaped consultations (n = 1392) of a representative sample of 142 GPs were used. Consultations were categorised in three groups: consultations with a diagnosis in the International Classification of Primary Care chapter P 'psychological' or Z 'social' (n = 138), a somatic diagnosis but with a psychological background according to the GP (n = 309), or a somatic diagnosis and background (n = 945). Workload measures were consultation length, number of diagnoses and GPs' assessment of sufficiency of patient time. RESULTS: Consultations in which patients' mental health problems play a part (as a diagnosis or in the background) take more time and involve more diagnoses, and the GP is more heavily burdened with feelings of insufficiency of patient time. In consultations with a somatic diagnosis but psychological background, GPs more often experienced a lack of time compared to consultations with a psychological or social diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Consultations in which the GP notices psychosocial problems make heavier demands on the GP's workload than other consultations. Patients' somatic problems that have a psychological background induce the highest perceived burden on the GP.     

Somatic presentation of psychiatric morbidity in general practice.

BACKGROUND. Twenty per cent of new illnesses in general practice, and 3% of consecutive attenders, are incident cases of 'pure' somatization. AIM. This study set out to estimate the prevalence of consultations by patients with psychiatric morbidity who present only somatic symptoms (somatic presentation), and to compare this with the likely prevalence of pure somatization. METHOD. A cross-sectional survey of consecutive general practice attenders was carried out. Psychiatric morbidity was measured using the general health questionnaire. Pure somatization was defined as medical consultation for somatic symptoms that were judged by a psychiatrist during an interview to be aetiologically attributable to an underlying psychiatric disorder but which were not recognized as such by the patient. RESULTS. Of attenders 25% were identified as somatic presenters. Of the somatic presenters interviewed one in six were estimated to be pure somatizers, which would extrapolate to 4% of attenders. Though all somatic presenters were probable cases of psychiatric disorder, subjects in this group had lower scores on the general health questionnaire than those who presented with psychological symptoms. General practitioner recognition of psychiatric morbidity was significantly lower among somatic presenters than for other subjects with psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION. General practitioner recognition of psychiatric morbidity could be improved for all types of somatic presentation, regardless of the aetiology of patients' somatic symptoms. There is a danger that concentrating attention on pure somatization may mean that psychiatric morbidity in the more common undifferentiated form of somatic presentation will be overlooked.     

Patients'' experiences of GP consultations for psychological problems: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: The vast majority of patients with psychological problems are seen solely by their GP, but little is known about patients' perspectives regarding the variety of consultation skills that may be used in routine GP consultations with these patients. AIM: To identify which aspects of GP consultations patients presenting with psychological problems experience as helpful or unhelpful. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING: Nine general practices in north central London. METHOD: Twenty patients, who had discussed psychological problems as a significant part of their index GP consultation, were asked in detail using the tape-assisted recall (TAR) method, about aspects of the consultation they had experienced as helpful or unhelpful. RESULTS: All patients described how the relationship with the GP helped or hindered them in discussing their problems; this was central to their experience of the consultation. An underlying attitude of genuine interest and empathy, within a continuing relationship, was highly valued. Patients also described how the GP helped them make sense of, or resolve their problems, and supported their efforts to change. CONCLUSION: These patient accounts suggest that routine GP consultations for psychological problems can have a powerful impact, at least short-term. The GP role in providing a safe place where patients feel they are listened to and understood should not be underestimated, particularly in the mental health context. Further research is required to investigate the longer-term impact of different GP behaviours on patient health outcomes. The TAR method has potential applications in primary care research and in the training of GPs and other health professionals.     

Detecting suicidal ideation in older patients: identifying risk factors within the general practice setting

BACKGROUND: GPs are the most frequently accessed health professional among suicidal individuals in the community.AIM: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and suicidal ideation among patients aged 60 years and older presenting to GPs, and the relationship between these variables in detecting patients who may be contemplating suicide.Design of study: Cross-sectional analysis of older patients presenting to Australian GPs between 2002 and 2003. SETTING: One thousand and sixty-one consecutive patients aged 60 years or over attending one of 54 randomly selected Western Australian GPs. METHOD: Prior to their medical consultation, patients completed a self-report questionnaire, which included questions about current suicidal ideation (Depressive Symptom Inventory Suicidality Subscale [DSI-SS]) and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]). Patients' chief complaints were obtained from consultation summary sheets completed by their GP. RESULTS: Although only 5.1% of patients presented with psychological complaints, 5.8% acknowledged current suicidal ideation and 23.8% had clinically significant levels of depressive symptomatology. Suicidal ideation was associated with CES-D scores greater than 16 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5 to 8.9), feelings of depression (OR = 7.7, 95% CI = 3.4 to 17.7), and previous suicide attempt (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 2.7 to 20.2) in a logistic regression model, but not with poor self-perceived health, use of licit drugs (smoking, alcohol, and hypnotics), or type of presenting complaint at the time of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Although older general practice patients tend to present for issues related to their physical health, approximately a quarter of this cohort also possess high levels of psychological distress, including current thoughts of suicide. Older patients who show any signs of depression or distress should be asked about psychological symptoms, including suicidal ideation.     

Newly identified psychiatric illness in one general practice: 12-month outcome and the influence of patients'' personality.

BACKGROUND. Relatively little is known about the natural history and outcome of psychological problems in patients who present to general practitioners. Only a small proportion of such patients are seen by specialists. Clinical experience suggests that patient personality is one of the factors influencing outcome in patients diagnosed as having psychiatric illness. AIM. This study set out to examine prospectively the progress and 12-month outcome of patients with newly identified psychiatric illness, and the association of patients' personality with outcome. METHOD. One hundred and seventy one patients with clinically significant psychiatric illness attending one practice in a Scottish new town were followed up prospectively (96 presented with psychological symptoms and 75 with somatic symptoms), and were compared with a group of 127 patients with chronic physical illness. Patients were assessed in terms of psychiatric state, social problems and personality using both computer-based and pencil and paper tests in addition to clinical assessments at each consultation during the follow-up year and structured interview one year after recruitment. RESULTS. Most of the improvement in psychiatric state scores on the 28-item general health questionnaire occurred in the first six months of the illness. Of the 171 patients with psychiatric illness 34% improved quickly and remained well, 54% had an intermittent course but had improved at 12-month follow up while 12% pursued a chronic course without improvement. The mean number of consultations in the follow-up year was 8.4 for patients presenting with psychological symptoms, 7.2 for those presenting with somatic symptoms and 6.6 for patients with chronic physical illness. The Eysenck N score proved a strong predictor of the outcome of new psychiatric illness. CONCLUSION. Only one in three patients with newly identified psychiatric illness improved quickly and and remained well, reflecting the importance of continuing care of patients with psychological problems. This study has confirmed the feasibility of simple personality testing in everyday practice and shown a link between Eysenck N score and the outcome of new psychiatric illness. The predictive value of the Eysenck N score in general practice requires further research.     

Causal attributions for somatic sensations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and their partners

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) often make somatic attributions for their illness which has been associated with poor outcome. A tendency to make somatic attributions in general may be a vulnerability factor for the development of CFS. METHODS: This cross-sectional study based on self-report questionnaire data aimed to investigate the type of attributions for symptoms made by patients with CFS and to compare this to attributions made by their partners. It was hypothesized that patients with CFS would make more somatic attributions for their own symptoms than control subjects and that partners of patients with CFS would make more somatic attributions for their ill relative's symptoms but would be similar to controls regarding their own symptoms. Fifty patients with CFS were compared to 50 controls from a fracture clinic in the same hospital and 46 relatives living with the patients with CFS. A modified Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire was used to assess causal attributions. RESULTS: CFS patients were more likely to make somatic attributions for their symptoms. The relatives of patients with CFS made significantly more somatic attributions for symptoms in their ill relative. However, they were like the fracture clinic controls in terms of making predominantly normalizing attributions for their own symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The data support modification of existing cognitive behavioural treatments for CFS to investigate whether addressing partners' attributions for patients' symptoms improves recovery in the patient. Furthermore, a tendency to make somatic attributions for symptoms may be a vulnerability factor for the development of CFS.     

General practitioner psychological management of common emotional problems (I): Definitions and literature review.

General practitioners' (GPs') treatment of patients with common emotional problems often includes some form of psychological management within the consultation. Such psychological management may be limited to listening and discussion or may also include more specific psychological approaches, such as use of counselling, problem-solving, or cognitive-behavioural techniques. This paper defines GP psychological management and reviews what is known about its frequency and effectiveness. MEDLINE and PsychLIT searches were undertaken of empirical studies of the psychological management of emotional problems by GPs in routine consultations published up to 1998. Thirty-six studies were identified. Most lacked details of the nature of the psychological management reported, making it difficult to compare studies. The frequency of use of psychological management by GPs was found to be generally less when rated by external observers than when assessed by GP self-report. There is preliminary evidence from a few studies of the clinical effectiveness of GP psychological management in routine consultations.     

Factors that influence the detection of psychological problems in adolescents attending general practices

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies indicate that the prevalence of psychological problems in patients attending primary care services may be as high as 25%. AIM: To identify factors that influence the detection of psychological difficulties in adolescent patients receiving primary care in the UK. DESIGN OF STUDY: A prospective study of 13-16 year olds consecutively attending general practices. SETTING: General practices, Norfolk, UK. METHOD: Information was obtained from adolescents and parents using the validated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and from GPs using the consultation assessment form. RESULTS: Ninety-eight adolescents were recruited by 13 GPs in Norfolk (mean age = 14.4 years, SD = 1.08; 38 males, 60 females). The study identified psychological difficulties in almost one-third of adolescents (31/98, 31.6%). Three factors significant to the detection of psychological disorders in adolescents were identified: adolescents' perceptions of difficulties according to the self-report SDQ, the severity of their problems as indicated by the self-report SDQ, and whether psychological issues were discussed in the consultation. GPs did not always explore psychological problems with adolescents, even if GPs perceived these to be present. Nineteen of 31 adolescents with psychological difficulties were identified by GPs (sensitivity = 61.2%, specificity = 85.1%). A management plan or follow-up was made for only seven of 19 adolescents identified, suggesting that ongoing psychological difficulties in many patients are not being addressed. CONCLUSIONS: GPs are in a good position to identify psychological issues in adolescents, but GPs and adolescents seem reluctant to explore these openly. Open discussion of psychological issues in GP consultations was found to be the most important factor in determining whether psychological difficulties in adolescents are detected by GPs.     

Validity of the Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire

The Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire-30 was administered to 2,150 Chinese secondary school students, along with several other scales that measure somatic and psychological symptoms. GHQ scores were found to correlate significantly with all other measures of psychopathology for the various samples. Further analyses indicated that while the GHQ correlated more strongly with scales that assess acute symptoms than with scales that measure chronic problems, GHQ correlations were higher with measures of state as well as trait anxiety relative to indices that primarily reflect non-anxiety-related symptoms. Correlations between the various factor scores of the GHQ and other indices of psychopathology also were found to be mostly significant. These findings generally suggest that the Chinese GHQ-30 is a valid instrument that assesses "general" psychological health, and the data provide support for the validity of some of the factorial dimensions of this scale.     

General practitioner psychological management of common emotional problems (II): A research agenda for the development of evidence-based practice.

The majority of patients with common emotional or psychological problems are treated solely by general practitioners (GPs). Such treatment frequently includes some form of psychological management within the consultation, whether limited to listening and discussion or involving more specific techniques. This paper sets out a research agenda for the development of effective approaches to GP psychological management. Evidence is reviewed on three core components of all psychological treatments: establishing a positive therapeutic relationship, developing a shared understanding of the problem, and promoting change in behaviour, thoughts or emotions. The application of these components in GP psychological management is outlined and methodological issues in the development and evaluation of GP management approaches are discussed. Since the number of patients with emotional problems seen by each GP is so large, the population effects of even small improvements in psychological management would be sizeable.