The study sought to determine whether an organized health promotion intervention during medical consultations improves the outcome for patients who meet the ICD10 criteria for anxiety or depressive disorders.

In 2001, physicians used the MINI to screen 9743 employees on sick leave and consulting physicians in 21 medical centres of a large company. A health promotion intervention was implemented in eight “active” centres. It took place immediately after diagnosis and consisted of explaining the disorders, delivering the test results and leaflets based on WHO recommendations, and advising patients to consult their personal physician, psychiatrist or occupational physician, if necessary. Its effectiveness, evaluated by symptom severity and outcome over 1 year, was assessed by comparing the eight active centres to 13 control centres (without the intervention).

Disorders were detected among 10.6% of the subjects, 29.4% of whom had no previous diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder. The intervention was associated with a positive effect on the 6-week and 6-month HAD scores. Total absence of disorders at 1 year was associated with age, sex, and intervention, among all identified cases (OR = 1.53), among those with at least one anxiety disorder (OR = 1.45), and among those with at least one depressive disorder (OR = 1.40).

Combining detection with organized provision of information including printed material improves patients' outcome and physicians' diagnostic abilities.