Past-year use of outpatient services for psychiatric problems in the national comorbidity survey

Objective: The authors present nationally representative descriptive data o n 12-month use of outpatient services for psychiatric problems. They focuse d on the relationship between DSM-III-R disorders and service use in four b roadly defined service sectors as well as the distribution of service use i n multiple service sectors. Method: Data from the National Comorbidity Surv ey were examined. Results: Summary measures of the seriousness and complexi ty of illness were significantly related to probability of use, number of s ectors used, mean number of visits, and specialty treatment. One-fourth of the people in outpatient treatment were seen in multiple service sectors, b ut no evidence was found of multisector offset in number of visits. Conclus ions: Use of outpatient services for psychiatric problems appears to have i ncreased over the decade between the early 1980s and early 1990s, especiall y in the self-help sector. Aggregate allocation of treatment resources was related to need, highlighting the importance of making provisions for speci alty care in the triage systems currently evolving as part of managed care.