title: Psychiatric co-morbidity in primary care and hospital referrals, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Psychiatric and physical morbidities among patients referred from primary health care (PHC) centres and general hospitals (GH) in Al-Qassim region were compared. Thus, 540 psychiatric referrals (GH = 138; PHC = 402) were selected randomly. Fifteen GH patients but no PHC patients were referred for admission. Psychiatrists made more diagnoses of dementia, affective and anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety-depression and somatoform disorders than clinicians and general practitioners (GPs). Clinicians made significantly more diagnoses of acute psychoses and somatoform disorders than GPs. Physical morbidity was noted in 38.4% and 17.2% of GH and PHC referrals respectively.
authors.affiliation: Buraidah Mental Health Hospital, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: al-Habeeb
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: al-Ghamdy
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Magzoub
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: van der Molen
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D004630:Emergencies; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors