Distress Syndromes, Illness Behavior, Access to Care and Medical Utilization in a Defined Population

This article examines the use of general medical services in a representative sample from a defined geographic area and in a sample of persons seeking psychiatric care from the same area. Psychiatric patients made 100 per cent more general medical care visits in the retrospective period and 83 per cent more in the prospective period than persons who did not seek mental health care. The analysis focuses on the determinants in general medical care use between those who sought mental health care and those who did not. The first hypothesis is that physical symptoms and dysfunction concomitant with psychologic disorder explain the difference. The second argues that the association is a product of help-seeking orientations and illness behavior. The third focuses on variations due to differences in access. The first two types of factors are the most important. Using sex, physical symptoms and illness behavior measures, we explain 50 per cent of the differences in retrospective utilization and 40 per cent of the differences in prospective data

Distress · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health care · Medical care · Mental health · Mental illness · Physical illness · Population · Psychiatry · Retrospective cohort study · Clinical Psychology · Healthcare Policy and Management · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Primary Care and Health Outcomes

• Psychosocial factors influencing non-urgent use of the emergency room

  Open Access•D K Padgett, Beth Brodsky et al.•Social Science & Medicine•1992

  Incluir item

• The Effect of Managed Care on Health Services Use by Dually Eligible Elders

  Thomas T H Wan•Medical Care•1989

  Incluir item

• The Effects of Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-Being on Use of Medical Services

  Willard G Manning, Kenneth B Wells•Medical Care•1992

  Incluir item

• Utilization Patterns and Mortality of HMO Enrollees

  Bentson H Mcfarland, Donald K Freeborn et al.•Medical Care•1986

  Incluir item

• Psychological Distress and Patient Satisfaction

  James R Greenley, Theresa B Young et al.•Medical Care•1982

  Incluir item

• Medical and Psychiatric Determinants of Outpatient Medical Utilization

  Arthur J Barsky, Grace Wyshak et al.•Medical Care•1986

  Incluir item

• A Longitudinal Study of Offset in the Use of Nonpsychiatric Services Following Specialized Mental Health Care

  Janet R Hankin, Larry G Kessler et al.•Medical Care•1983

  Incluir item

• Interaction Effects in a Multivariate Model of Physician Visits by Older People

  Greg Arling•Medical Care•1985

  Incluir item

• The Validity of Self-reported Physician Utilization Measures

  Paul D Cleary, Alan M Jette•Medical Care•1984

  Incluir item

• The Use of Ambulatory Health Care Services by American Indians with Disabilities

  Peter J Cunningham, Peter Cunningham et al.•Medical Care•1993

  Incluir item

• Gender Differences in the Acquisition of Prescribed Drugs

  Bonnie L Svarstad, Paul D Cleary et al.•Medical Care•1987

  Incluir item

• Differences in Determinants of Physician Use Between Aged and Middle-Aged Persons

  Sue E Levkoff, Paul D Cleary et al.•Medical Care•1987

  Incluir item

• Psychological Distress and the Decision to Seek Medical Care Among a Medicare Population

  Emil Berkanovic, Margo‐lea Hurwicz et al.•Medical Care•1989

  Incluir item

• Adolescent Competence, Psychological Well-Being, and Self-Assessed Physical Health

  David Mechanic, Stephen Hansell•Journal of Health and Social…•1987

  Incluir item

• Use of Social and Health Services by the Elderly

  Claudia Coulton, Abbie K Frost•Journal of Health and Social…•1982

  Incluir item

• Access to Health Care in Urban Areas of Developing Societies

  Gabriel B Fosu•Journal of Health and Social…•1989

  Incluir item

• Understanding Adolescents' Perceptions of Diarrhea

  Open Access•Anise Gold-Watts, Geir Aamodt et al.•Frontiers in Public Health•2021

  Incluir item

• Illness Episodes, Physician Visits, and Depressive Symptoms

  Open Access•Emil Berkanovic, Margo‐lea Hurwicz et al.•Journal of Aging and Health•1992

  Incluir item

• The Role of the General Practitioner in the Care of Mentally Disturbed Subjects in the General Population — Results of the Upper Bavarian Study

  Open Access•I Meller, M M Fichter et al.•International Journal of Social…•1989

  Incluir item

• Health Policy

  Open Access•John Bond•Ageing and Society•1987

  Incluir item

• Validity of self reported utilisation of primary health care services in an urban population in Spain

  Juan Á Bellón, Juan Ángel Bellón et al.•Journal of Epidemiology and…•2000

  Incluir item

• The use of outpatient mental health services in the United States and Ontario

  S Katz, S J Katz et al.•American Journal of Public Health•1997

  Incluir item

• National Estimates of HIV-Related Symptom Prevalence From the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study

  Wm Christopher Mathews, J Allen McCutchan et al.•Medical Care•2000

  Incluir item

• Comparison of Treated and Untreated Major Depressive Disorder in a Nationwide Sample of Korean Adults

  Open Access•Subin Park, Maeng Je Cho et al.•Community Mental Health Journal•2011

  Incluir item

• Life change, health status and life satisfaction

  Open Access•Oscar B Martinson, Eugene A Wilkening et al.•Social Indicators Research•1985

  Incluir item

• Psychological distress and the decision to seek medical care

  Open Access•Emil Berkanovic, Margo‐lea Hurwicz et al.•Social Science & Medicine•1988

  Incluir item

• Gender, employment and medication use

  Open Access•Maria Zadoroznyj, Bonnie L Svarstad•Social Science & Medicine•1990

  Incluir item

• Sociological dimensions of illness behavior

  Open Access•David Mechanic•Social Science & Medicine•1995

  Incluir item

• An orientation toward help-seeking for emotional problems

  Open Access•M A R Tijhuis, L Peters et al.•Social Science & Medicine•1990

  Incluir item

• Rural tranquillity

  Open Access•Jonathan Gabe, Paul Williams•Social Science & Medicine•1986

  Incluir item

• Nonspecific Psychological Distress and Other Dimensions of Psychopathology

  B P Dohrenwend•Archives of General Psychiatry•1980

  Incluir item

• A Twenty-Two Item Screening Score of Psychiatric Symptoms Indicating Impairment

  Thomas S Langner•Journal of Health and Human…•1962

  Incluir item

• The Effect of Psychological Distress on Physician Utilization

  Richard C Tessler, Richard Tessler et al.•Journal of Health and Social…•1976

  Incluir item

• Psychological Distress and Perceived Health Status

  Richard C Tessler, Richard Tessler et al.•Journal of Health and Social…•1978

  Incluir item