[Mental morbidity in a general medical practice]

The present study was carried out in the city of Seville, among individuals who had attended a general practice from the Social Security. 215 subjects, aged 15-65 years, were interviewed to obtain information of the mental health status. The data were collected with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and an interview for sociodemographic and health data addressing all factors which may, in general, play a role in the mental health of the individual. The prevalence of mental disorders in the study was between 42.6% and 56%. Factors such as marital status, profession, employment status, use of psychoactive drugs and stress showed significant associations with the mental health level. In the discussion, in addition to comparing our observations with those from other reports, we attempt an approach to to psychological and sociological understanding of the factors implied in mental health.