• James Larkin, Ivana Pericin, Brian Osborne, Philip Dodd, and Claire Collins.
• Irish College of General Practitioners, 4-5 Lincoln Place, Dublin, Ireland.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Aug 1; 191 (4): 1785-1793.

BackgroundGeneral practitioners are the gatekeepers of Irish healthcare and they offer continuity of care to patients. Irish general practice is therefore considered appropriate for preventing, diagnosing and managing most mental health problems.AimsThis study sought to establish the coding frequency, consultation frequency, patient characteristics and pharmacological treatment of patients with severe mental disorders (SMDs) in Irish general practice.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used. A finder tool embedded in the practice software assisted general practitioners (GPs) coding adult patients with SMDs. Eleven practices uploaded anonymous data on 2,203 patients. Variables analysed included disease code, consultations, prescriptions, sex, patient status and age.ResultsOverall, 2.9% (n = 2,337) of patients had ever been coded with a SMD, 2.4% (n = 1,964) coded with depressive disorder ever and 0.26% (n = 209) and 0.3% (n = 233) with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, respectively. Overall, 68.0% (n = 1,336) of patients with depressive disorder were female, and 74.0% (n = 171) of patients with schizophrenia were public patients. The median consultation rate in the previous 3 years was highest for schizophrenia patients at 24.5 visits.ConclusionsCoding of SMDs in Irish general practice appears incomplete. Patients with SMDs have high consultation rates. Patients with depressive disorder are more likely to be female and public patients. This research suggests that the improvement of coding in Irish general practice is the first practical step required to detecting prevalence rates.© 2021. The Author(s).

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