title: Screening for common mental disorders in low resource settings: reasons for caution and a way forward.
abstract: Recognition of high rates of common mental disorders in many resource-constrained contexts has indicated the need for routine screening of patients attending public health facilities. Screening may facilitate entry into community level psychiatric services for those identified as disordered. Yet, screening instruments will need to ensure high specificity so as to minimise expenditures on treating false positives. Task shifting of screening activities to primary health care staff and lay workers in low income settings may hold some population- level advantages, including greater population coverage, more efficient deployment of health care staff, and the reduction of stigma if specific conditions are met.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kagee
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Crick
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
keywords: Common mental disorders; Low and middle income countries; Screening