Summary
Studies of factors associated with self-referral to general practitioners are reviewed including demographic, social and psychological variables. Recent work by the authors has attempted to determine the extent to which symptom severity is a necessary link in the chain of association between psycho-social factors and self-referral.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AshfordJR (1972) Patient contacts in general practice in the National Health Service. Statistician 21: 265–289
BalintM (1968) The doctor, his patient and the illness, 2nd ed. Pitman, London
BanksMH, BeresfordSAA, MorrellDC, WallerJJ, WatkinsCJ (1975) Factors influencing demand for primary medical care in women aged 20–44 years: a preliminary report. Int J Epidemiol 4: 189–195
BeresfordSAA, WallerJJ, BanksMH, WaleCJ (1977) Why do women consult doctors? Social factors and the use of the general practitioner. Br J Prevent Soc Med 31: 220–226
BrownGW, SklairF, HarrisTO, BirleyJLT (1973) Life-events and psychiatric disorders, Part I: some methodological issues. Psychol Med 3: 74–87
BrownGW, HarrisT (1978) Social origins of depression. Tavistock, London
CartwrightA (1979) Minor illness in the surgery, Ch. 9 In Management of minor illness, King's Fund Publishing Office. Pitman, London
CoelhoGV, HamburgDA, AdamsJE (1974) Coping and adaptation. Basic Books, New York
CohenJ, CohenP (1975) Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioural sciences. Erlbaum, New Jersey
FouldsGA (1976) The hierarchical nature of personal illness. Academic Press, London
FouldsGA, BedfordA (1977) Personality and coping with psychiatric symptoms. Br J Psychiatry 130: 29–31
FouldsGA BedfordA (1978) Delusions-symptoms-states inventory (DSSI). NFER Publishing Company, London
FreerCB (1980) Self-care: a health diary study. Med Care 18: 853–860
GoldbergD (1978) Manual of the general health questionnaire. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research, London
GoldbergD, HuxleyP (1980) Mental illness in the community: The pathway to psychiatric care. Tavistock, London
GradJ, SainsburyP (1963) Mental illness and the family. Lancet I: 544–547
HannayDR (1979) The symptom iceberg. Routledge Kegan Paul, London
HulkaBS (1972) Determinants of physician utilization. Med Care 10:300
InghamJ (1981) Neurosis: disease or distress? In: BebbingtonP, WingJK, RobinsLN (eds) What is a case? Problems of definition in psychiatric community surveys. Grant McIntyre, London
InghamJG, MillerPMcC (1976) The concept of prevalence applied to psychiatric disorders and symptoms. Psychol Med 6: 217–225
InghamJG, MillerPMcC (1979) Symptom prevalence and severity in a general practice population. J Epidemiol Commun Health 33: 191–198
InghamJG, RawnsleyK, HughesD (1972) Psychiatric disorder and its declaration in contrasting areas of South Wales. Psychol Med 2: 281–292
KellnerR (1963) Family ill health. Tavistock, London
KesselWIN (1960) Psychiatric morbidity in a London general practice. Br J Prevent Soc Med 14: 16–22
McArdleC, AlexanderWD, Murray BoyleC (1974) Frequent attenders at a health centre. Practitioner 696–702
MayoPR (1969) Women with neurotic symptoms who do not seek treatment. Br J Med Psychol 42: 165–169
MechanicD (1962) The concept of illness behaviour. J Chronic Dis 15: 189–194
MechanicD, GreenleyJR (1974) The prevalence of psychological distress and help-seeking in a college student population. Soc Psychiatry 11: 1–14
MillerPMcC, InghamJG, DavidsonS (1976) Life events, symptoms and social support. J Psychosom Res 20: 515–522
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1977) General Household Survey, London
ParsonsT (1951) The social system, Ch. X. Free Press, Glencoe
PolliakMR (1971) The relationship between Cornell medical index scores and attendance rates. J R College Gen Pract 21: 453–459
RoghmanKJ HaggertyJ (1972) Family stress and the use of health services. Int J Epidemiol 1: 279–286
RyleA, HamiltonM (1962) Neurosis in fifty married couples. J Ment Sci 108: 265–273
TesslerR, MechanicD, DimondM (1976) The effect of psychological distress on physician utilization: a prospective study. J Health Soc Behav 17: 353–364
WadsworthMEJ, ButterfieldWJH, BlaneyR (1971) Health and sickness. Tavistock, London
WadsworthMEJ (1974) Health and sickness. J Psychosom Res 18: 271–276
WadsworthMEJ InghamJG (1981) How society defines sickness. In: ChristieMJ, MalletPG (eds) Foundations of psychosomatics. Wiley, Chichester
WattsCAH (1962) Psychiatric disorders. In: Morbidity statistics from general practice, Vol III: Disease in general practice. Res Comm Council Coll Gen Prac, Stud Med Popul Subjects No 14. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London
WeissmanMM, KlermanGL (1977) Sex differences and the epidemiology of depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 34: 98–111
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Most of the material in this paper was previously published in: Clinical psychology and medicine: a behavioural perspective, edited by C. Main and published by Plenum, New York (1981)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ingham, J., Miller, P. Consulting with mild symptoms in general practice. Soc Psychiatry 17, 77–88 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583447
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583447