Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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This study examined the impact of comorbid anxiety disorders-posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder-on health-related quality of life among primary care patients enrolled in a collaborative care depression intervention study for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ⋯ According to scores on the QWB-SA, generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD comorbid with major depressive disorder impair health-related quality of life above and beyond major depressive disorder alone.
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This study assessed the prevalence rate of generalized anxiety disorder among patients of general practitioners in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and determined whether general practitioners recognize the condition and its correlates. ⋯ Of the total percentage of cases of generalized anxiety disorder in general practice (4.8 percent for males and 6.0 percent for females), only one-third to one-half of the cases were identified by the general practitioners.
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Comment Letter Biography Historical Article
Multiple sclerosis, mental illness, and forced treatment.
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A comprehensive review of the literature examined discharge from inpatient psychiatric settings against medical advice (excluding elopements) over the past 50 years. Specifically, definitions, prevalence, predictors, temporal patterns, consequences, and interventions pertaining to such discharge were explored. ⋯ Prediction of patients at risk of discharge against medical advice is possible with several defined variables. Awareness of the factors involved in discharge against medical advice should facilitate clinical decision making and the development of successful interventions for high-risk patients.
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Because Chinese Americans are known to underutilize mental health services, routine screening for depression in primary care clinics has been advocated as a means of identifying Chinese-American patients with depression and initiating appropriate treatment. This analysis evaluated the utility of the nine-item depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression screening and monitoring treatment outcomes among Chinese Americans at a primary health care setting. ⋯ The PHQ-9 can be used to screen for depression as well as guide depression treatment planning among Chinese Americans in primary care. Screening for major depression with the PHQ-9 in primary care settings should be considered for appropriate identification and treatment of depression for Chinese-American patients.