Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec;30(1):2418299.
doi: 10.1080/13814788.2024.2418299. Epub 2024 Oct 23.

Screening tools assessing mental illness in primary care: A systematic review

Bernadette Neulinger  1 , Christopher Ebert  1   2 , Kirsten Lochbühler  1   2 , Antje Bergmann  3 , Jochen Gensichen  1   2 , Karoline Lukaschek  1
Affiliations

Screening tools assessing mental illness in primary care: A systematic review

Bernadette Neulinger et al. Eur J Gen Pract. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Background: To better manage patients with a wide range of mental health problems, general practitioners would benefit from diagnostically accurate and time-efficient screening tools that comprehensively assess mental illness. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to identify screening tools that either take a multiple-mental disorder or a transdiagnostic approach. As primary and secondary outcomes, diagnostic accuracy and time efficiency were investigated.

Methods: The data bases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Psyndex and PsycINFO were searched. Studies reporting on multiple-mental disorder or transdiagnostic screening tools used in primary care with adult patients were included. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value served as measures of diagnostic accuracy. Time efficiency was evaluated by the number of items of a screening tool and the time required for its completion and evaluation.

Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of screening tools assessed multiple mental disorders separately. A sub-group of screening tools took a transdiagnostic approach by examining the spectrum of mood, anxiety and stress-related disorders. One screening tool used internalised, cognitive/somatic and externalised dysfunction as transdiagnostic domains of mental illness. Mostly, a sufficient sensitivity and specificity was reported. All screening tools were found to be time efficient.

Conclusion: The eleven identified screening tools can support general practitioners to identify patients with mental health problems. However, there was great heterogeneity concerning their diagnostic scope of psychopathology. Further screening tools for primary care are needed that target broad constructs of mental illness, such as transdiagnostic factors or personality dysfunction.

Keywords: Mental illness; general practitioner; index test; primary care; screening; transdiagnostic approach.

Plain language summary

Eleven screening tools assessing multiple mental health disorders or taking a transdiagnostic approach in primary care were identified.The tools were time efficient, and offer a satisfactory diagnostic accuracy.Future research should focus on screening tools that target transdiagnostic factors or maladaptive personality traits as informative constructs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Santomauro DF, Mantilla Herrera AM, Shadid J, et al. . Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet. 2021;398(10312):1700–1712. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02143-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. European Commission . Mental health – Report; 2023. internet]: Publications Office of the European Union; [01 Aug 2024]. Available from: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2875/48999. - DOI
    1. Wang PS, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, et al. . Use of mental health services for anxiety, mood, and substance disorders in 17 countries in the WHO world mental health surveys. Lancet. 2007;370(9590):841–850. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61414-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Häfner S, Petzold ER.. The role of primary care practitioners in psychosocial care in Germany. Perm J. 2007;11(1):52–55. doi:10.7812/TPP/06-111. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO . Integrating mental health into primary care: a global perspective; 2008. [28 Oct 2023]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241563680.

Publication types