Common Mental Disorders in Primary Health Care Units: Associated Factors and Impact on Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: Considering the high worldwide prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs), characterizing the association between CMD and quality of life (QoL) constitute a valuable measure to gauge patient's functional impairment due to CMD symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with the incidence of CMD and its impact on the QoL in primary health care (PHC) patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study completed in a municipality in Brazil. Standardized tools included the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 to detect CMDs and the WHOQOL-brief to assess QoL, in addition to a sociodemographic and treatment-related questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 41.4% of the patients met cutoff scores for a CMD, and the presence of a CMD was associated with female gender and marital status. Patients with CMDs had lower QoL scores than patients who were negative for a CMD. CONCLUSIONS: CMDs are highly prevalent in PHC settings and affect patients' QoL. The high frequency of CMD in those that seek care through PHC necessitate incorporating mental health services into the range of available services.