In reply: Measuring outcomes in patients with depression and anxiety: an essential part of clinical practice

In reply: It is pleasing to note that a senior psychiatrist is looking at the practicality of general practitioners (GPs) measuring the clinical outcome of patients with mental disorders. However, Dinnen's concerns may be groundless. For example, the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K10) consists of 10 simple questions that patients can complete in two minutes in the waiting room and doctors can then score by summing 10 numbers between one and five.1 This takes less time than writing a progress note.

The websites www.gpcare.org, www.beyondblue.org.au and www.mentalhealth.gov.au1-3 are the simplest places for doctors to familiarise themselves with the proposed outcome measures and with other new initiatives for better outcomes in mental healthcare. For the K10, the website1 advises GPs that if, after treatment, a patient's score remains above 25 the GP should review the patient and consider seeking a second opinion from a psychiatrist. In a specialist clinic (St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney) the average K10 score of a cohort of patients was 26.1 before treatment and 21.7 after treatment (indicating the effect of sound treatment). Nevertheless, the scores of a fifth of patients remained above 25 after treatment. Psychiatrists might therefore familiarise themselves with the measure so they understand when a GP refers a patient for a second opinion "with a K10 score above 25 after treatment".