Mental Health Problems in Primary Care before and after Sectorization of Psychiatric Care: A study of patients utilizing both primary health care and psychiatric care

Abstract

Frequencies of noted mental health problems, diagnoses, and drug prescriptions performed by general practitioners were studied in a Swedish health district before and after the sectorization of the psychiatric care in patients (N = 252, N = 294, respectively) who had contacted both the outpatient psychiatric care and the primary health care. The frequencies of noted mental health problems before the sectorization were similar to other studies, but decreased after the sectorization. After the organizational change, psychiatric diagnoses decreased whereas psychosomatic diagnoses increased. After the sectorization, prescription of psychotropic drugs was reduced.

Key Words:

• primary health care
• general practitioner (GP)
• sectorization
• psychotropic drugs