title: Sub-threshold mental health syndromes: finding an alternative to the medication of unhappiness.
abstract: Sub-threshold anxiety and depression are common presentations in primary care. They carry a significant disability burden along with the risk of developing a frank disorder. Intervention options are limited, although there is some evidence that ultra brief interventions may be effective with this patient group. We argue that there is a need for a systematic but ultra brief, minimal contact intervention, that can be delivered by GPs or practice nurses. Such an intervention would be a form of facilitated self-management, a step up from self-help, from which people could be referred on to more intensive treatment or medication if required.
authors.affiliation: Social Psychiatry & Population Mental Health Research Unit, Otago University, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mathieson
authors.forename: Sunny
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collings
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dowell
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index