Insomnia and mental disorders: data from primary care

Background and aims: Mental disorders (MD) are highly prevalent but poorly recognized in primary care (PC). Insomnia is most often thought of as both a medical sign and a symptom that can accompany several psychiatric disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate and recognition of mental disorders in PC. Methods or Materials or Case Report: 998 consecutive PC adult patients (average age 50,16±18,75), 320 male and 678 female, were evaluated for MD twice: first time by general practitioner (GP), using his or her routine method, and, secondly, by using MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results: Only 44.8 % of PC patients, who had no psychiatric diagnosis after GP evaluation, had no mental disorders detected by MINI (Table1). MD were diagnosed for minority of patients (150 patients: 38 (11.9 %) male, 112 (16.5%) female) by general practitioner, and the most common (30 %) diagnosis was insomnia, diagnosed in 50 patients of the sample. The split between mental diagnoses by general practitioner and MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Conclusion: Mental disorders are highly prevalent, however, poorly recognized in primary care. Our findings suggest that the use of standard screening tool for mental disorders such as MINI could play a critical role in diagnosing psychiatric disorders in primary care.