C. Fullerton et al., Association of chronic diseases and psychiatric disorders among patients attenting public primary care clinics, REV MED CHI, 128(7), 2000, pp. 729-734
Background: As a part of the World Health Organization multicentric study o
f emotional disorders in general medical care, we studied patients who had
a chronic medical ailment and a psychiatric disorder, according to ICD-10.
Aim: To report the prevalence of patients with coexisting medical and psych
iatric disorders. Patients and methods: All patients, aged 15 to 65 years o
ld, consulting in primary care outpatient clinics, were interviewed using a
general health questionnaire. In a second phase, patients with chronic med
ical disorders were subjected to the World Health Organization Composite In
ternational Diagnostic Instrument. Results: Sixty nine percent of interview
ed Chilean patients had a medical condition, compared to 60,3% of the globa
l study group. Of these, 66% had a coexisting psychiatric diagnosis, compar
ed to 31% of the global study group. The most frequent diagnoses in the Chi
lean sample were somatization disorders in 25%, harmful alcohol use in 14%,
depression in 35% and hypocondriasis in 6%. There was a higher prevalence
and odds ratio for psychiatric diagnoses among Chilean women. Conclusions:
Patients with chronic medical disorders should be considered a high risk gr
oup for the coexistence of psychiatric disturbances.