[Patients cared for at the mental health unit of a primary care office: morbidity study]

Establishing the frequency of mental disorders among patients cared for at the mental health unit of a primary care outpatient clinic of Santiago, Chile, is intended. In this connection, 618 medical records have been screened retrospectively (i.e. a whole universe excepting patients under age 15). A great majority of patients--with an absolute ratio of female patients (88.8%) were referrals from physicians' offices. The most frequent disorders were anxiety disorders and adjustment disorders. Comments are made on (a): the scarcity of referrals from larger general hospitals, and (b) the need for mechanisms apt at an early detection of the most frequent disorders to be set up.