Anxiety disorders in rural primary care: use of the MINI to estimate prevalence in clinic patients.

Anxiety disorders are a common problem, but there are few estimates of their prevalence in rural areas. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety disorders in rural Northern California and compare the rural rates with those nationally and at urban primary care clinics. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was administered to patients seeking care at rural primary care clinics in Northern California as a psychiatric screening tool. Over three years, 3,462 patients were screened at five clinics, and the prevalence was compared with published primary care prevalences.1 The observed rate of panic disorder was 9.5%, social phobia was 8.5%, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was 21.9%. Compared with population estimates, these rates are unusually high. This apparent difference may reflect socio-demographic characteristics of rural primary care populations. The prevalence of anxiety disorders in rural primary care clinics may have implications for clinical care and service delivery systems.