title: The recognition of psychiatric morbidity on a medical oncology ward.
abstract: The Generalised Health Questionnaire and Standardised Psychiatric Interview were used to determine psychiatric morbidity among 126 patients consecutively admitted to a medical oncology unit. Senior house officers and nurses also rated anxiety and depression. 36 (29%) patients were psychiatrically ill and affective disorders (29, 23%) predominated. Psychiatric morbidity was associated with feeling moderately or severely physically ill, and previous psychiatric illness, but not with awareness of having cancer or lack of a confiding tie. The General Health Questionnaire identified 79% of affective disorders at the cost of a 34% false positive rate. Doctors and nurses recognised only 49% of the depressed group; more of those with morbid anxiety (79%) were identified but only because they assumed most patients were anxious. Training in interviewing skills could substantially improve the identification and referral rates of patients with psychiatric morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Christie Hospital, Withington Hospital, Manchester, U.K.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hardman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crowther
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation