Mixed emotional and physical symptoms in general practice: what diagnoses do GPs use to describe them?
OBJECTIVE
To determine what diagnostic terms are utilized by general practitioners (GPs) when seeing patients with mixed emotional and physical symptoms.


METHODS
Prototype cases of depression, anxiety, hypochondriasis, somatization and undifferentiated somatoform disorders were sourced from the psychiatric literature and the author's clinical practice. These were presented, in paper form, to a sample of GPs and GP registrars who were asked to provide a written diagnosis.


RESULTS
Fifty-two questionnaires were returned (30% response rate). The depression and anxiety cases were identified correctly by most participants. There was moderate identification of the hypochondriasis and somatization disorder cases, and poor identification of the undifferentiated somatoform case.


CONCLUSIONS
Somatization and undifferentiated somatoform disorders were infrequently recognized as diagnostic categories by the GPs in this study. Future research into the language and diagnostic reasoning utilized by GPs may help develop better diagnostic classification systems for use in primary care in this important area of practice.
PhD Candidate,Centre for Values,Ethics and the Law in Medicine,University of Sydney,Camperdown,Australia.
Louise
L
Stone
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000379:methods*; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
somatoform disorders