Mental disorders among family practice patients in the United States-Mexico border region.

A standardized interview including parts of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule was used to determine the prevalence of depressive and generalized anxiety disorders among female family practice patients in San Antonio, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. Rates of depression and anxiety were not significantly different in Texas and Mexico. There were differences in age-specific rates of anxiety with the disorder being prominent among middle-aged women in Mexico. In both countries, women with mental disorders had higher rates of hospitalization, use of psychotropic medication(s), and physical complaints than women without such disorders.