Many cases of mental illness are not detected and therefore not treated adequately. One reason for the low detection rate is that people do not spontaneously report psychological problems. Probing for psychopathology using screening-tools is a potential solution to this problem. The Symptom Checklist 90 revised (SCL-90-R) is a reliable and valid instrument in the assessment of psychological problems. Studies have shown that individuals with SCL-90-R total scores > 0.63 or values of > 0.63 in two or more subscales have a high risk of mental illness.

Screening for mental disorders can take place in many settings. One potential setting, which has received relatively little attention, is that of the workplace.

To investigate whether the workplace is a useful setting for screening for mental disorders.

To identify the SCL-90-R cut-off point which ensure maximum sensitivity and specificity in the detection of people with mental illness in the setting of a workplace.

The SCL-90-R was distributed to workers at 4 different workplaces. Individuals with total scores > 0.63 or values of > 0.63 in two or more subscales were invited to undergo diagnostic assessment by a doctor according to the Present State Examination.

A total of 438 workers completed the questionnaire. From this sample 98 met SCL-90-R criteria to undergo PSE and of these 53 were evaluated to be in need of further treatment. The results on optimal SCL-90-R cut-off regarding sensitivity, specificity etc. are not yet available, but will be presented at the EPA conference.