Table 3.
General practitioners’ management of stress according to co-existing psychiatric diagnoses
| Psychiatric diagnosis coexisting with stress | None (ref) | Anxiety only | Depression only | Other diag only | > 1 diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 376 | 93 | 176 | 60 | 80 | |
| Mean age in years | 43 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | |
| Females | 72% | 69% | 67% | 72% | 69% | |
| GP assessed cause of stress | Work | 73% | 63% | 64% | 63% | 75% |
| Family | 37% | 42% | 43% | 35% | 34% | |
| Physical disease | 5% | 18%* | 12%* | 17%* | 20%* | |
| Other cause | 8% | 15% | 13% | 23%* | 16% | |
| Unknown | 3% | 5% | 6%* | 7% | 3% | |
| Medication | Antidepressants | 4% | 43%* | 73%* | 18%* | 54%* |
| Benzodiazep or Z-drugs | 7% | 10% | 7% | 3% | 16%* | |
| Antipsychotics | 1% | 1% | 4%* | 5%* | 14%* | |
| None of the above | 88% | 52%* | 25%* | 77%* | 34%* | |
| Period of sick leave due to the stress | 53% | 45% | 54% | 52% | 71%* | |
| Counselling in general practice | 43% | 58%* | 53% | 52% | 55% | |
| Referred to psychologist | 32% | 45% | 49%* | 37% | 45%* | |
| Referred to dpt. of occupational medicine | 7% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 9% | |
| Reported to OSHA | 6% | 2% | 7% | 8% | 14% | |
| Participated in municipality stress program | 5% | 6% | 14%* | 5% | 1% | |
* p < 0.05 adjusted for age group and sex compared to (ref). OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration