Application of screening tools to detect mental maladaptation in neurological patients in outpatient settings

Abstract

In the practice of primary care physicians, there is a large number of patients whose somatic complaints are combined with emotional disorders or disguise them. In this regard, it is essential to identify manifestations of mental maladaptation and recommend these patients to visit a clinical psychologist or psychotherapist. In this work, screening tools were applied at the neurologist’s primary appointment in order to identify patients with anxiety and depressive states as the main markers of mental maladaptation. As a result of the study, mental maladaptation was detected in more than half of the cases, with the pain syndrome ranking first in this group. Such results provide a basis for recommending the use of screening tools for the detection of mental maladaptation during primary care visits, especially in patients with chronic pain complaints. The set of scales applied in this study is easy to use and can be utilized in an outpatient setting due to the shor t time required.