The use of health diaries in the field of psychiatric illness in general practice

Abstract

SynopsisThe individual's response to the occurrence of symptoms is conditioned by a variety of non-medical factors, of both an enduring (e.g. personality attributes) and a changing nature (e.g. social support). The health diary provides a particularly appropriate method of studying the daily variations in health and illness behaviour which make up so much of the clinical content of general practice.