PREVALENCE OF PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS IN AN ACADEMIC PRIMARY CARE DEPARTMENT IN RIYADH

A pilot study was conducted on 114 patients to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in an academic primary care centre in Riyadh during May/June 1988. The patients were asked to fill the General.Health Questionnaire GHQ-28 and were assessed by a general practitioner (GP). One-third of the patients were interviewed and assessed by a psychiatrist using a systematic random sampling. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was calculated using two methods. In the first method the GP's assessment was compared with that of the psychiatrist and the estimated prevalence was found to be 47%. The second method was conducted by comparing the GHQ and Psychiatrist assessment and the prevalence was 46%. The repeatability of the results of both methods was reassuring and may indicate their reliability. The prevalence rate was compared with that reported in other studies from different parts of the world. Some speculations on the variation of results are presented. We believe that the second method is more practical and can be used widely in primary care settings without the need for considering the inter-GP variations.