In-patient psychiatric referrals in a teaching hospital: a case controlled report.
The 77 (47 females, 30 males) in-patient referrals to the Psychiatric Department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a 1-year period, were compared with a control sample of 75 (45 females, 30 males) unreferred patients. The low referral rate of 0.8%, after excluding deliberate self-harm (relatively infrequent in Nigeria), was comparable to reports in Western literature. Treatable minor psychiatric morbidity, mainly anxiety and depressive disorders, occurred in 41.3% of the controls. Sixty-eight percent of those referred had definite mental disorders, most commonly psychoses (50.7%), especially delirium (29.9%). Infectious disorders, notably Salmonella typhi infection, were the most predominant physical etiological factors. The results are discussed and the implications highlighted.
Adeyemi
J D
JD
Department of Psychiatry, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*