[Schizophrenic disorders in primary care mental health].

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and incidence of schizophrenia and other psychoses in a mental health unit (MHU) closely connected to primary health care.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal study of the register of all patients with psychiatric illnesses detected in a specific geo-demographic and health care area.

Setting: Five basic health care areas of Barcelona (103 615 inhabitants).

Participants: MHU patients who had attended clinics due to mental health disorders during the period from 1982-2000 (N=21 236). Strict health and diagnostic criteria based on the DSM-4 classification were applied. All cases were validated using clinical history review and concensus.

Measurements: Incidence (in the last 3 years) and prevalence of schizophrenia and other psychoses in the whole period of study, both in the general population and in the risk population age group (15-54 years).

Results: In total, 838 patients complied with the diagnosis of suffering from schizophrenia (N=476) or other psychoses (N=362). The incidence of schizophrenia was 3.47/10,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-4.6) in the general population and 5.09/10,000, 95% CI, 3.2-6.9) in the population at risk, and the prevalence of schizophrenia was 54.9/10,000 (95% CI, 41.8-50.1) in the general population and 80.7/10,000 (95% CI, 73.5-88) in the population at risk.

Conclusions: The MHU-primary health care interface can be a good place to detect and study schizophrenic syndromes and other psychoses, as long as they comply with the agreed health and research criteria.