Importance of Psychiatric Outpatient Clinics in Primary Care of Somatic Disorders

Objective of the study General practitioners are mainly responsible for primary health care. Patients with mental disorders, in particular patients with complex or multiple needs, use these services infrequently in case of somatic complaints. Psychiatric outpatient clinics have to deal with these patients and have perhaps an additional role in diagnosing and treating somatic co-morbidities. This should be evaluated. Methods Physicians in outpatient clinics of the Centre of Psychiatry Suedwuerttemberg were asked about their attitude towards somatic co-morbidities, somatic co-treatment and prescribing somatic drugs. In addition, data of the outpatient clinic documentation were evaluated with respect to the treatment by general practitioners and somatic diagnosis. Results 72 % of all patients said that they have a general practitioner. Physicians in outpatient clinics said that they had a high responsibility for somatic co-treatment especially for those patients who did not have a general practitioner. The frequency and type of a somatic co-morbidity was different in patients from general psychiatric, geriatric psychiatry and addiction outpatient clinics. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that psychiatric outpatient clinics play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating somatic disorders. Their extent depends on the type of the psychiatric and the somatic disorder but also on the financing of the outpatient clinic.