0000000000075204
AUTHOR
Natalie Steinbrecher
Classification characteristics of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 for screening somatoform disorders in a primary care setting
Abstract Background This study examines how effectively the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), a self-administered screening instrument, recognizes somatoform symptoms and somatoform disorders in a German primary care setting. Methods A selected sample of 308 patients (mean age 47.2 years, 71.4% women) from two regular primary care practices was screened with the PHQ-15 and additionally examined with structured interviews. Their primary care physicians rated symptoms reported in the interview as either “medically explained” or “medically unexplained.” Results Seventy-six percent of the symptoms were judged as medically unexplained. The PHQ-15 correlated significantly with the total n…
Course and prediction of somatoform disorder and medically unexplained symptoms in primary care
Abstract Theory/objective Somatoform disorder (SFD) is associated with considerable psychosocial impairment. However, only a few studies have dealt with the course of this clinical subgroup. Therefore, the objective was to identify predictors for the various courses of SFD and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Method We screened 620 consecutive patients in primary care using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15). Afterwards, 308 patients were studied in more detail using a diagnostic interview and a set of questionnaires. One year later, we were able to interview 277 participants a second time. Result After 1 year, 48.8% of the respondents had a remitted SFD. The following variables…
Überprüfung der zeitlichen Stabilität medizinisch nicht erklärter Beschwerden und somatoformer Störungen vor dem Hintergrund unterschiedlicher Diagnosekonzepte
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine and to compare the stability of medically unexplained symptoms and somatoform disorders within the context of different diagnostic concepts (SSI4/6, DSM-IV, DSM-V). METHOD: In a 2-stage follow-up study, 620 consecutive patients were first of all screened using the PHQ-15 questionnaire. In the second stage, 308 selected persons were then interviewed in detail. 12 months later, 89,9% of participants could be interviewed again. RESULTS: Medically unexplained symptoms and somatoform disorders showed weak stability coefficients. In regard to Complex Somatic Symptom Disorder (DSM-V), the prevalence rates were smaller than expected. Within a year, …
The prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms in primary care.
Objective There is only a small number of studies dealing with the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms and somatoform disorder in German primary care practices. Therefore, we aimed to study the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms and the prevalences and comorbidities of somatoform and other mental disorders. Method In the initial stage of a two-stage prevalence study, 620 consecutive patients were first screened with a PHQ-15 questionnaire. In the second stage, 308 selected persons were then interviewed in detail. Results Medically unexplained symptoms made up two-thirds of all reported symptoms with women, younger persons, and non-native speakers having the highest rates.…