Development of a simple screening tool for common mental disorders in general practice

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• General Practice
• Mental Health Screening

Background:

• Common mental disorders are prevalent in general practice.
• Accurate and efficient screening tools are needed for early detection and intervention.
• The SPHERE questionnaire has been developed to assess psychological distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a brief, self-report screening tool for common mental disorders.
• To assess the performance of 12 items from the SPHERE questionnaire.
• To establish a classification system for common mental disorders in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of a 12-item screening tool using data from general practice and specialist psychiatric cohorts.
• Cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were employed.
• Performance was evaluated against DSM-III-R/DSM-IV diagnoses, disability ratings, and clinician assessments.

Main Results:

• The 12-item SPHERE tool identified two levels and three types of mental disorders.
• This classification system demonstrated predictive validity for disability ratings and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses.
• Sociodemographic correlates differed across the identified disorder types.

Conclusions:

• A 12-item classification system derived from the SPHERE questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for identifying common mental disorders.
• The tool is specifically suited for use in general practice settings.
• This screening approach aids in classifying disorder severity and characteristics.