Mental Health Evaluation in Community Pharmacies-A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Services
• Community Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• Portugal exhibits a high prevalence of anxiety and depression.
• Community pharmacists are strategically positioned to detect mental health issues and oversee patient treatment.
• Existing screening methods and monitoring protocols require evaluation within community pharmacy settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To screen individuals without a diagnosis for anxiety and depression symptoms.
• To monitor the condition of patients already diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
• To assess the role of community pharmacists in mental health screening and monitoring.

Main Methods:

• An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacy users.
• Symptom assessment utilized the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
• Data were collected from 591 participants between September 2020 and July 2021.

Main Results:

• Among undiagnosed participants, 18.2% (GAD-7) and 12.1% (PHQ-9) showed moderate to severe symptoms.
• Among diagnosed patients, 39.4% with anxiety and 49.5% with depression had uncontrolled symptoms.
• Anxiety symptoms were lower in men and those not taking medication; depression symptoms were more prevalent in women, those with lower education, living alone, or on specific medications.

Conclusions:

• A significant number of undiagnosed individuals in community pharmacies exhibit clinically relevant anxiety and depression symptoms.
• A substantial proportion of diagnosed patients have inadequately controlled anxiety and depression.
• These findings underscore the critical role of pharmacists in identifying at-risk individuals and improving the monitoring of diagnosed mental health conditions.