Background: Research on questionnaires as screening tools for psychiatric disorders has yielded conflicting results.
Aim: To examine the effect of a routinely administered questionnaire on recognition of common psychiatric disorders in general practice.
Design of study: Randomised controlled trial.
Setting: Twenty-eight general practices in Aarhus County, Denmark.
Method: Thirty-eight general practitioners (GPs) and 1785 consecutive patients, aged 18-65 years old, presenting with a new health problem, participated. Before consultation, patients were screened using a brief screening questionnaire (SQ) including somatisation, anxiety, depression, and alcohol abuse scales. Patients were randomised to one of two groups: 900 questionnaires were disclosed and scored by the GPs, 885 were blinded. A stratified subsample of 701 patients was interviewed after the consultation using a standardised psychiatric research interview (SCAN).
Results: Overall the GPs' recognition rates were 14% (95% confidence interval [CI] = -2 to 30) better for depression and 35% (95% CI = 2 to 68) better for alcohol problems when SQs were disclosed. Recognition rates for anxiety improved 8% (95% CI = -9 to 26) overall. In the case of somatoform disorders, disclosure showed no effect overall. Among those with high SQ scores, however, disclosure increased recognition rates on any mental disorder evaluated.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated limited usefulness for routine screening for common psychiatric disorders. However, findings suggest that the SQ may be useful for case-finding among a subgroup of patients with high SQ scores.