The primary care physician and psychiatric services

Abstract

This article describes the relationship of self-assessed psychiatric skill among primary care physicians to their role in treating mental disorders. Physicians rated diagnostic skills more favorably than therapuetic skills. Factor analysis was used to identify three dimensions of physician skill: confidence in treatment of major disorders; confidence in treatment of anxiety; and diagnostic confidence. These variables were found to be associated with the reported number of patients with specific mental disorders managed by the physician. © 1987.