Common mental disorders in primary care in Harare, Zimbabwe: associations and risk factors.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to investigate the associations for common mental disorders (CMD) among primary care attenders in Harare.


METHODS
This was an unmatched case-control study of attenders at primary health clinics, general practitioner surgeries and traditional medical practitioner clinics; 199 cases with CMD as identified by an indigenously developed case-finding questionnaire, and 197 controls (non-cases), were interviewed using measures of sociodemographic data, disability, care-giver diagnoses and treatment, explanatory models, life events and alcohol use.


RESULTS
CMD was associated with female gender (P = 0.04) and older age (P = 0.02). After adjustment for age, gender and site of recruitment, CMD was significantly associated with chronicity of illness; number of presenting complaints; beliefs in "thinking too much" and witchcraft as a causal model; economic impoverishment; infertility; recent unemployment; an unhappy childhood for females; disability; and consultations with traditional medical practitioners and religious priests.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental disorders are associated with female gender, disability, economic deprivation, and indigenous labels of distress states.
Patel
V
V
University of Zimbabwe Medical School, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Todd
C
C
Winston
M
M
Gwanzura
F
F
Simunyu
E
E
Acuda
W
W
Mann
A
A
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology