Post-traumatic stress disorder in primary-care settings: prevalence and physicians' detection

Background. Little is known about the prevalence of PTSD in primary-care se ttings and regarding the ability of primary-care physicians to detect PTSD. The current study examines prevalence of PTSD in a national sample of prim ary-care attenders and primary-care physicians' detection of PTSD and gener al psychological distress in PTSD patients. Methods. Data are from a national study of 2975 primary-care attenders in I srael. Demographic data, responses to the GHQ-28, PTSD Inventory and physic ians' diagnoses were examined. Results. Twenty-three per cent of all patients who attended clinics (N = 68 4) reported traumatic events, 39 % of whom (males 37 %, females 40 %) met c riteria for PTSD on the PTSD Inventory. Eighty per cent of the males and 92 % of the females with PTSD were distressed according to the GHQ. According to physicians, 37 % of persons who reported trauma (40 % of the women, 32 % of the men) suffered from psychological distress. Only 2 % of patients me eting PTSD criteria on the self-report measure were given a diagnoses of PT SD by physicians. Conclusions. Many primary-care patients suffer from PTSD, which is usually accompanied by major psychological distress. Attention by primary-care phys icians to a history of trauma could improve physicians' detection of this d isabling disorder.