Assessment of mental disorders using the patient health questionnaire as a general screening tool in western Nigeria: A community-based study

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of psychopathology at the community level in this African population and few had ever been treated. PHQ as a general screening tool has a higher false-positive value compared to GHQ when used by nondoctors. PHQ should be used as an instrument to screen for specific mental disorders rather than a general screening tool for psychiatric morbidity at the community level.