Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Psychological disturbance in a general practice setting

G Parker, H Brotchie

    Australian Family Physician
    |May 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Changes in white matter microstructure and MRI-derived cerebral blood flow after 1-week of exercise training.

    Scientific reports·2021
    Same author

    Refined diagnostic criteria for the bipolar disorders: phase two of the AREDOC project.

    Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2021
    Same author

    Acoustic shock: an update review.

    The Journal of laryngology and otology·2020
    Same author

    Paradigms lost, gained and retained.

    Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2020
    Same author

    Differentiating clinical and non-clinical depression: a heuristic study offering a template for extension studies.

    Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2019
    Same author

    How to choose an antidepressant medication.

    Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2018

    Many patients with new physical complaints experience psychological distress, as measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). This psychological morbidity significantly decreased over 10 weeks, approaching general population levels.

    Area of Science:

    • General Practice
    • Psychological Medicine
    • Public Health

    Background:

    • Patients frequently present to general practitioners with somatic symptoms.
    • The prevalence and trajectory of psychological dysfunction in primary care settings require further investigation.
    • The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a validated tool for assessing psychological distress.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To assess the prevalence of psychological dysfunction in patients presenting with new complaints to a general practitioner.
    • To examine the relationship between psychological dysfunction and physical symptom severity.
    • To evaluate the change in psychological morbidity over a 10-week period.

    Main Methods:

    • One hundred consecutive patients consulting a general practitioner in Sydney were administered the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).

    Related Experiment Videos

  • Clinical assessments of psychological disturbance and physical dysfunction severity were performed.
  • Follow-up assessments were conducted at 10 weeks to evaluate changes in psychological morbidity.

    • Main Results:

    • 39% of patients with new complaints scored positively on the GHQ, indicating psychological dysfunction.
    • A direct correlation was found between the severity of psychological disturbance and GHQ scores.
    • An inverse relationship was observed between the severity of physical dysfunction and GHQ scores.
    • Psychological morbidity decreased to 23% at 10-week follow-up, aligning with general population norms.

    Conclusions:

    • A significant proportion of patients presenting with somatic symptoms experience underlying psychological dysfunction.
    • The severity of physical symptoms may mask or be inversely related to psychological distress.
    • Psychological morbidity in this primary care cohort demonstrated a notable improvement over 10 weeks.
    • These findings highlight the importance of screening for psychological distress in general practice settings.