title: Generalised anxiety disorder symptoms and utilisation of health care services. A cross-sectional study from the "Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort".
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the utilization of health care services of people who tested positive for GAD compared to those who tested negative.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 10,282 members followed from birth in a longitudinal study were asked to participate in a follow-up survey at the age of 46. As part of this survey they filled in questionnaries concerning health care utilization and their illness history as well as the GAD-7 screening tool. Althogether 5,480 cohort members responded to the questionnaries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of visits in different health care services among people who tested positive for GAD with the GAD-7 screening tool compared to those who tested negative.
  
  
  RESULTS
  People who tested positive for GAD had 112% more total health care visits, 74% more total physician visits, 115% more visits to health centres, 133% more health centre physician visits, 160% more visits to secondary care, and 775% more mental health care visits than those who tested negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with GAD symptoms utilize health care services more than other people. Key Points Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common but poorly identified mental health problem in primary care. People who tested positive for GAD utilise more health care services than those who tested negative. About 58% of people who tested positive for GAD had visited their primary care physician during the past year. Only 29% of people who tested positive for GAD had used mental health services during the past year.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;
authors.forename: Tero
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kujanpää
authors.affiliation: a Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;|b Unit of General Practice , Oulu University Hospital , Oulu , Finland.
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jokelainen
authors.affiliation: a Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;|b Unit of General Practice , Oulu University Hospital , Oulu , Finland.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Auvinen
authors.affiliation: a Center for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timonen
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Anxiety disorders; Finland; general practice; generalised anxiety disorder; health care services,; health care utilisation; psychiatric services