Brief diagnostic interviews (SDDS-PC) for multiple mental disorders in primary care. A pilot study

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Mental disorders are prevalent in primary care settings.
• Accurate and efficient diagnostic tools are needed to improve patient care.
• The Symptom-Driven Diagnostic System for Primary Care (SDDS-PC) aims to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot test the feasibility and validity of new, brief, physician-administered diagnostic interviews.
• To assess the utility of these interviews for identifying six mental disorders in primary care patients.
• To compare the new interviews with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition, version P (SCID-P).

Main Methods:

• A pilot study was conducted in three family practices and one residency program.
• Patients (aged 18-70) who screened positive for mental disorders underwent new diagnostic interviews.
• Interviews were compared against the gold standard SCID-P administered by mental health professionals.

Main Results:

• Physicians found the new diagnostic interviews useful, with 87% diagnosing new mental problems.
• The interviews demonstrated moderate validity, with 76.4% concordance with SCID-P for positive cases.
• Detection rates varied by disorder, suggesting a need for refinement.

Conclusions:

• The brief, physician-administered diagnostic interview modules are feasible and show preliminary validity.
• These tools are part of a system designed to improve mental disorder detection in primary care.
• Further revisions and larger-scale testing are recommended for routine clinical use.