title: Common mental disorders among primary care attenders in Vellore, South India: nature, prevalence and risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study examined the nature and prevalence of and the factors associated with common mental disorders in primary care in Vellore, South India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive attenders (N = 327) to a primary health care facility were recruited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and eleven (33.9%) subjects satisfied criteria for common mental disorders. Depression was the common presentation (83.8%). Indicators of low socio-economic status (being in debt, inability to buy food, having less than three square meals per day) and illiteracy were significantly associated with caseness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects with common mental disorders are commonly seen in primary health care settings. Illiteracy and poverty are associated with caseness. Primary health care research and policy needs to focus on common mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pothen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuruvilla
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jacob
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors