title: The detection of mental disorders in the community using a 20-item interview version of the General Health Questionnaire.
abstract: A 20-item interview version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used to presumptively identify cases with mental disorders in a sample of 810 community residents. Subjects also were examined by psychiatrists using the Present State Examination (PSE). The screening instrument performed well in detecting PSE-CATEGO syndromes related to anxiety and depression, but less well in detecting psychotic syndromes and cognitive impairment. The overall sensitivity of the instrument for any PSE-CATEGO syndrome was 48%. The study elucidates the specific nature of the psychopathology that this version of the GHQ is likely to detect in the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Samuels
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nestadt
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Anthony
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romanoski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013577:Syndrome; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*