title: The chronically mentally ill in primary care.
abstract: The role of primary care physicians in addressing the needs of chronically mentally ill patients is examined from three perspectives: assessing community prevalence; treating chronic medical problems in the context of other human service needs; and treating specific types of chronic mental disorders. About 30% of primary care patients were found to have at least one Research Diagnostic Criteria mental disorder, five-sixths of which had a duration greater than 1 year. However, about 9% of patients had some impairment and 2% had severe impairment associated with a mental disorder. Although affective disorders have the highest overall rates, personality, psychotic, and anxiety disorders contribute the greatest proportion of severe disability.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D012917:Social Adjustment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy