The burden of conditions not attributable to mental disorders.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend previous findings on the relationship of V code conditions to use of psychiatric services and treatment outcome. The group under study involved 2,542 outpatients from three community mental health centers in Nova Scotia, Canada. From this group, three subgroups of patients were compared: 1) patients with V code conditions, 2) patients with DSM-III-R mental disorders, and 3) patients with both V code conditions and mental disorders. The majority of patients (61.8%) were diagnosed with V code conditions, and a substantial minority (19.6%) had V code conditions as the sole diagnoses. Patients with V code conditions without mental disorders were similar to patients with mental disorders in consumption of treatment resources and treatment outcome. Strategies for improving the efficiency of mental health services to patients with V code conditions need to be developed.