ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric problems are often expressed through, or coexist with, somatic symptoms. Cultural factors may influence this association. This study aims to 1) estimate the prevalence of mental health problems in a sample of primary care attendees in a rural area of Greece, and 2) investigate the differences in psychiatric symptomatology among patients from different religious/cultural backgrounds. METHOD: Over a three-month period, 300 consecutive adult patients (Christians and Moslems) at the rural Primary Care Health Centre of Iasmos in Thrace, Greece, were assessed with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: The probable prevalence of mental health problems was estimated at 32 percent. Only for a small minority of the patients (3.3 percent) psychological problems were the presenting complaint. Moslems scored significantly higher than Christians in the somatic complaints subscale (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mental health problems are common in primary care although they rarely constitute a reason for consultation. Sociocultural background may affect the presentation of psychological distress. Primary health care staff have a significant role in identifying hidden psychiatric morbidity.
Subject(s)
Christianity , Islam , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Primary Health Care , Somatoform Disorders/epidemiology , Adult , Aged , Ambulatory Care , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Culture , Female , Greece/epidemiology , Health Surveys , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/therapy , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Rural Population/statistics & numerical data , Somatoform Disorders/diagnosis , Somatoform Disorders/therapyABSTRACT
This study aims to investigate associations between sociodemographic and psychological characteristics and smoking among Greek medical students. The students studied were separated into four groups: non-smokers and occasional, regular and heavy smokers. The students completed a battery of inventories and checklists. Immigrant students, users of other psychoactive substances, students more prone to minor delinquency and students with high scores on activity level, approach to new situations, sociability and novelty seeking showed higher smoking rates. A better understanding of these differences could be useful for the planning of antismoking policy.
Subject(s)
Smoking/psychology , Students, Medical/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Alcohol Drinking/genetics , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Data Collection , Female , Greece , Humans , Male , Sex Factors , Smoking/epidemiology , Smoking/genetics , Socioeconomic Factors , Statistics as Topic , Students, Medical/statistics & numerical data , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
The normal variations in the size of the ventricular systems was determined on technically satisfactory computer tomograms in 275 patients who were psychologically and neurologically normal. Ages range from one to 80 years and the data classified in decades. A physiological increase in the width of the ventricular system was found after the 50th year. The normal patients, who acted as a control group, were compared with 65 alcoholics. A significant increase in size (simple variance) was found in alcoholics after the fourth decade, as compared with normals. Correlation between the width of the ventricular system and cerebral function, and between liver damage and the ventricular system could not be established.
