Psychiatric Morbidity in Primary Health Care a Two-stage Screening Procedure in Developing Countries: Choice of Instruments and Cost-effectiveness

The use in two developing countries of a two-stage psychiatric screening procedure with an emphasis on minor morbidity is described. This was the first use of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire and Clinical Interview Schedule in conjunction. Health auxiliaries with limited training administered the first-stage screening instrument. In comparison with other psychiatric screening techniques used in developing countries, the procedure described may prove to be more cost-effective in primary care and community surveys, and more appropriate for assessing the wide range of minor psychiatric morbidity commonly encountered in such settings.