Psychiatric diagnoses of medical service users: evidence from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program.

Perceived physical and emotional trauma as precipitating events in fibromyalgia. Associations with health care seeking and disability status but not pain severity

“…However, it is precisely the subjective perception of an event as emotionally stressful which has repeatedly been related to increased levels of health care utilization. Our findings are consistent with multiple sources of evidence indicating that perceived stressful life events and reports of emotional distress predict health care-seeking behavior in the general population as well as in patients with rheumatic diseases (10,15,23). Similarly, we have found that patients with FMS who are seen in tertiary care rheumatology practices exhibit a greater number of lifetime psychiatric diagnoses relative than did patients with no trauma (P = 0.0009).…”

Health services utilization by depressive patients identified by the MINI questionnaire in a primary care setting

“…As shown in previous studies, high psychological distress and low psychological well-being were associated with greater expenditures even after adjustment for self-rated general health status [13]. Epidemiological surveys document greater use of primary care services by community residents with depression [14]. Furthermore, studies of high users of primary care services find high rates of chronic depressive illness, and in medical inpatient samples depression is associated with longer hospital stays and higher costs [15,16].…”

Patient–Physician Communication in the Primary Care Visits of African Americans and Whites with Depression

“…[1][2][3][4] However, treatment of depression in primary care remains suboptimal. Physician under-recognition of mental illness is common, 5,6 and primary care physicians use lower doses of antidepressants and for shorter periods of time than guidelines recommend.…”