Unmet need for recognition of common mental disorders in Australian general practice

To determine the rate and predictors of unmet need for recognition of common mental disorders in Australian general practice.

Cross-sectional national audit of general practices throughout Australia in 1998-1999.

46 515 ambulatory care patients attending 386 GPs.

Prevalence of common mental disorders--12 items from the 34-item SPHERE self-report questionnaire and associated classification system; prevalence of recognition of mental disorders by GPs--GPs reporting whether patients had depression, anxiety, mixed depression/anxiety, somatoform, or other psychological disorder; predictors of unmet need for recognition of mental disorders--self-report questions about demography for patients and GPs, and about practice organisation for GPs.

Reported recognition of psychological disorders by GPs; actual prevalence of disorders; and patient, GP and practice characteristics predicting the failure to recognise disorders.

GPs did not recognise mental disorder in 56% (11922/21210) of patients. These comprised 46% (5134/11060) of patients in the higher level of mental disorders, and (in the second level of disorders) 58% (2906/5036) of patients with predominantly psychological symptoms, and 76% (3882/5114) of those with predominantly somatic symptoms. Patients more likely to have their need for psychological assessment met had the following characteristics: middle-aged (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% CI, 1.59-1.96), female (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.27), Australian-born (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.24), unemployed (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.64-1.89), single (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.41-1.61), presenting with mainly psychological symptoms (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 3.28-3.81), and presenting for psychological reasons (OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 3.02-5.82). Characteristics of doctors associated with meeting patients' need for assessment were being aged over 35 years (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.09-2.08), having an interest in mental health (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.41), having had previous mental health training (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.15-1.45), being in part-time practice (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.09-1.39), seeing fewer than 100 patients per week (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.13-1.47), working in practices with fewer than 2000 patients (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.13-1.45) and working in regional centres (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28).

Unmet need for recognition of common mental disorders remains high. Predictors of unmet need include a somatic symptom profile and practitioner and organisational characteristics which impede the provision of high quality mental health services.