title: Recording of severe mental illness in United Kingdom primary care, 2000-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is increasing emphasis on primary care services for individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other non-organic psychotic disorders. However we lack information on how many people receive these different diagnoses in primary care. Primary care databases offer an opportunity to explore the recording of new SMI diagnoses in representative general practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from The UK Health Improvement Network (THIN) primary care database including longitudinal patient records for individuals aged over 16 years from 437 general practices. We determined the annual GP recorded rate of first diagnosis of SMI by age, gender, social deprivation and urbanicity between 2000 and 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 10,520 individuals with a first record of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other non-organic psychosis among 4,164,794 patients. This corresponded to a rate of first diagnosis of 46.4 per 100,000 person years at risk (PYAR) (95% CI 45.4 to 47.4) in the 16-65 age group. The rate of first record of schizophrenia was 9.2 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 8.7 to 9.6) in this age group, bipolar disorder was 15.0 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 14.4 to 15.5) and other non-organic psychotic disorder was 22.3 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 21.6 to 23.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rates of GP recorded SMI in primary care records were broadly comparable to incidence rates from previous epidemiological studies of SMI and show similar patterns by socio-demographic characteristics. However there were some differences by specific diagnoses. GPs may be recording rates that are higher than those used to commission services.
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hardoon
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Irwin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nazareth
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David P J
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Osborn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult