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Symptoms of Emotional Distress in a Family Planning Service: Stability over a Four-Week Period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Andrew Winokur
Affiliation:
Depression Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Denise F. Winokur
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Karl Rickels
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Deborah S. Cox
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA

Summary

The 25-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL–25) was used on two occasions four weeks apart to identify self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients attending a family planning service. Only 28 per cent of patients classified as anxious to start with remained so four weeks later, but 62 per cent of those with high depression scores and 74 per cent of those with high depression and high anxiety scores maintained significant levels of depression. The implications of these findings for routine screening are discussed.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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