Psychiatric case detection in gynaecological patients

There is a large and conflicting literature on the frequency and nature of psychiatric disorders in women with gynaecological conditions. It is difficult to interpret and compare the findings of different studies, largely because they have used non-standardised methods of case-identification. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the use of standardised methods of case detection in two gynaecological populations: women undergoing hysterectomy and those receiving elective tubal sterilisation. Three applications of case-identification techniques are described: measuring prevalence; describing features of the disorders; and testing hypotheses. Examples of each are given for the two gynaecological populations.