ABSTRACT
The aims of the present study are to examine the prevalence of psychiatric problems and the reasons for seeking care in urban health centers in district 17 of Tehran [capital of Iran], and to study the sensitivity and predictive value of the presence of psychiatric symptoms as chief complaint and self-report of a psychiatric history for correct recognition of a psychiatric problem. The present research was a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Two urban health centers located in district 17 in Tehran were randomly selected from a total of 7 health centers. Patients referring to outpatient clinics of the centers were consecutively asked to fill in General Health Questionnaire-28 and a pathways-to-care questionnaire. In total, 126 subjects [54% female] were included. Forty-two patients [33.3%] had psychiatric problem based on GHQ. Only 11 [8.7%] had psychiatric symptoms as chief complaints [reasons for referral] and 60 [47.6%] considered themselves having a psychiatric illnesses. Of all GHQ cases, 27 [64.2%] had never consulted for a psychiatric illness. The sensitivity of self-report of psychiatric complaint or illness was less than 70% with positive predictive values of less than 55%. In line with previous research, psychiatric disorders were commonly observed in outpatient clinics in Tehran. However, most of those with a problem had not sought care. In addition, sole reliance on patients' self-report of psychiatric complaint or illness might not lead to proper recognition of patients in primary care