Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Aug 2002
Thinking life is not worth living. A population survey of Great Britain.
"Saving lives: our healthier nation" includes a target to reduce the death rate from suicide. Thoughts of suicide and feeling life is not worth living might be the first step in a pathway that can end in completed suicide. This study aims to identify factors associated with feeling life is not worth living amongst the household population of Great Britain, and to assess the strength of these associations after taking account of an individual's level of psychiatric morbidity. ⋯ Reducing psychiatric morbidity in the population as a whole might also decrease the frequency of suicidal thoughts. Policies which improve social support at a population level might also have a large impact on prevalence of suicidal thoughts.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Jun 2002
Personality disorders in the community: results from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing Part II. Relationships between personality disorder, Axis I mental disorders and physical conditions with disability and health consultations.
The aims of this study were threefold. First, to ascertain whether personality disorder (PD) was a significant predictor of disability (as measured in a variety of ways) over and above that contributed by Axis I mental disorders and physical conditions. Second, whether the number of PD diagnoses given to an individual resulted in increasing severity of disability, and third, whether PD was a significant predictor of health and mental health consultations with GPs, psychiatrists, and psychologists, respectively, over the last 12 months. ⋯ The study reports findings from a nationwide survey conducted within Australia and as such the data are less influenced by the selection and setting bias inherent in other germane studies. However, it does support previous findings that PD is a significant predictor of disability and mental health consultations independent of Axis I disorders and physical conditions.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Jan 2002
Psychiatric disorders in adult children of parents with a history of psychopathology.
The relation between major categories of psychiatric problems in parents and psychiatric disorders in their adult children has been investigated in only a few community studies. ⋯ This study has once more made it clear that children whose parents have psychiatric problems constitute an important high-risk group and that prevention and early intervention in these children constitute an important public health issue.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Dec 2001
Australian general practice and the meeting of needs for mental health care.
This report, drawing on a national epidemiological survey conducted in 1997, examines the role of Australian medical general practitioners (GPs) in responding to needs for mental health care. ⋯ Many people with mental health problems attend primary medical care practitioners without presenting these problems to their physicians. When they do present, perceived needs for medication are rated as well met, but there is substantial unmet perceived need for interventions in social and occupational domains. Perceived needs for counselling are less well met where the GP is the sole provider. To close these identified gaps calls for improvements in primary care physicians' skills and effective collaborative models with other providers.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Sep 2001
ReviewCollective approaches for the control of depression in England.
This paper addresses the prevention and treatment of depression in the general population. It argues that the public health burden of depression cannot be effectively tackled solely at the level of the treatment of individuals; in addition, coherent strategies by national governments are required. It summarises some of the public health interventions that were undertaken in England by the government to reduce the risk factors associated with depression in increase detection and treatment and to destigmatise this disorder. Lessons learned from this experience are described. ⋯ To assess the scope for collective public interventions, a national psychiatric morbidity study was commissioned. The Government set targets for reducing psychiatric morbidity and suicide. Research related to depression was commissioned. A public information strategy was launched to increase understanding and reduce stigma, including a five year 'Defeat Depression' Campaign. Particular attention was paid to updating General Practitioners in the recognition, detection and management of depression. Government departments worked with employers and trade union organisations to attempt to reduce work-induced stress. Universal and selective prevention measures aimed to reduce factors associated with depression, such as unemployment. Measures to reduce suicide include education of health and social care professionals, supporting high-risk groups and restricting access to means of suicide. The impact of these strategies is difficult to assess and will not be apparent until the national psychiatric morbidity study is repeated in 2001. The overall suicide rate fell by 11.7% in five years.