Objective: To evaluate whether a collaborative model of mental healthcare involving general practitioners and clinical psychologists benefits patients with common mental disorders in primary care.

Design And Participants: Cohort study of 276 general practice patients with mental health problems receiving collaborative treatment from clinical psychologists and GPs compared with a normative sample of 198 patients attending the same general practice surgeries.

Setting: Nine general practices in three regional cities (Bathurst, Armidale and Ballarat) and two single-doctor practices in two rural and remote townships (Rylstone and Trundle). Data were collected in Bathurst, Rylstone and Trundle during 2001 and 2002 and in Ballarat and Armidale in 2002.

Intervention: Full assessment, case formulation and "focussed psychological interventions" relevant to the patient's condition.

Main Outcome Measures: Level of psychological dysfunction assessed before and after the intervention, using the DASS (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales), GHQ (General Health Questionnaire) and GWBI (General Well Being Index) scales.

Results: After the intervention, average scores in the treatment group decreased significantly (P < 0.001) on all DASS and GHQ measures and increased on the GWBI, indicating a positive change in the patients' mental health. The follow-up scores of the treatment and normative groups did not differ significantly on any of these measures.

Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest that collaborative care involving GPs and clinical psychologists provides significant gains in patients' mental health.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06177.xDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

general practice
12
clinical psychologists
12
mental health
12
cohort study
8
rylstone trundle
8
scores treatment
8
patients' mental
8
general
7
mental
5
clinical
4

Similar Publications

Background: Recent Australian trends indicate that shave biopsies for diagnosing lesions suspicious of melanoma are increasing, yet reasons for this remain relatively unknown. We sought to understand which factors influence Australian clinicians' use of shave biopsy for managing thin lesions suspicious of melanoma in sites of low cosmetic sensitivity.

Methods: We used a convergent, exploratory mixed-methods design, with a cross-sectional online survey (n = 59) and semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 15).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate the correlation between the degree of fat infiltration (FI) in thoracic paraspinal muscles and thoracic vertebral degeneration (TVD).

Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 474 patients who underwent standard thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans. The FI was quantified as the percentage of adipose tissues within the cross-sectional area of thoracic paraspinal muscles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856).

Front Zool

January 2025

Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany.

Background: During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal's movement direction. Information transfer e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Usefulness of Cerebrospinal Fluid Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in older patients: Evidence from a national multicenter prospective study.

J Prev Alzheimers Dis

January 2025

Geriatrics Department, Fernand Widal Lariboisière University Hospital, GHU APHP.Nord, Paris, France; Paris-Cité University, Inserm U1144, Paris, France; Paris-Cité University, Inserm U1153, Paris, France.

Background: The use of cerebrospinal (CSF) biomarkers in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been gaining interest in clinical practice. Although their usefulness has been demonstrated, their potential value in older patients remains debated.

Objectives: To assess whether knowledge of the results of CSF AD biomarkers was associated with the same gain in diagnostic confidence in older adults > 80 than in younger patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To explore the perspectives of Māori and Pacific women who participated in the Fish Oil study to ascertain what barriers and facilitators may exist for successfully recruiting Māori and Pacific women into clinical trials.

Design: A Kaupapa Māori qualitative study.

Setting: Auckland, New Zealand.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!