D. Buchwald et al., SCREENING FOR PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS IN CHRONIC FATIGUE AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, Journal of psychosomatic research, 42(1), 1997, pp. 87-94
Psychiatric disorders are common in chronic fatigue (CF) and chronic f
atigue syndrome (CFS). To determine the usefulness of the General Heal
th Questionnaire (GHQ), a self-report measure of psychological distres
s, in identifying those with psychiatric illnesses, a structured psych
iatric interview and the GHQ were administered to 120 CF and 161 CFS p
atients seen in a referral clinic. Overall, 87 (35%) patients had a cu
rrent and 210 (82%) a lifetime psychiatric disorder. Compared to patie
nts without psychiatric disorders, GHQ scores above the threshold (gre
ater than or equal to 12) were more frequent among patients with curre
nt (p<0.001) and lifetime (p<0.05) diagnoses; scores among patients wi
th CF and CFS were similar. Longer illness duration, greater fatigue s
everity, and current psychiatric disorders were significant predictors
of the GHQ score. In CF and CFS, the best sensitivity (0.69-0.76) and
specificity (0.51-0.62) were achieved for current psychiatric diagnos
es using a threshold score of greater than or equal to 12. Thus, patie
nts scoring <12 on the GHQ are significantly less Likely to have a psy
chiatric disorder. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.