[Psychologic morbidity in perimenopause. Concordance of its diagnosis between a primary care team and its referral mental health center].

OBJECTIVES

To determine the most common psychiatric diagnoses and the characteristics of women of menopausal age referred from a Health Centre to their Health Area's Mental Health Centre.

DESIGN

A crossover observational study.

SETTING

The Mental Health Centre (MHC) and Primary Care Team (PCT) at Barajas (Health Area 4, Madrid).

PATIENTS

88 women between 44 and 55, referred from the PCT to the MHC up to 1st June 1997.

VARIABLES STUDIED

definitive diagnoses from the MHC (CIE-9), suspected diagnoses by the PCT, age, marital status, education, psychiatric antecedents (family and/or personal) and family problems.

CONCLUSIONS

The commonest psychiatric pathologies were depression and anxiety. The patients' profile is: married woman, primary or lower educational level, without paid work and with family problems. The concordance found reflects the need to improve the psychiatric training of PC doctors.