| Abstrakt: |
Despite the large number of studies discussing the prevalence of psychiatry disorders in the general population, only a few compare patients with minor/moderate disorders with those with more severe ones, chiefly at the primary/secondary level interface. This article compares patients with minor/moderate psychiatric disorders to those with more severe ones, as refers to demographic, socioeconomic, psycho-pathological and treatment variables. This was an observational study, evaluating 876 patients, referred by five primary care units from Juiz de Fora- MG, Brazil, to a first consultation at the mental health secondary service that is a referral center for the western area of the city. Bivariate analyses were performed in order to establish possible associations (p < 0.05) between severe mental disorders and 69 variables included in the study. Of the variables, 6 demographic, 3 socioeconomic, 22-psycho-pathological and interactive, and 5 related to treatment or the referral/counter-referral process were associated with severe mental disorders. The variables analyzed came from the semi-structured clinical files of the Juiz de Fora Municipal Health System, were generated from a combination of variables, or were collected from the referral form to the secondary level, filled out by the basic health unit staff. Besides being a baseline for studies comparing patients with severe mental disorders to those with less severe ones, the results may help to improve the quality of mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
