Psychiatric disorders in Nigerian nursing home residents.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in nursing homes, which has not been studied before in Nigeria, is the subject of this cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Psychiatric disorders were assessed in 23 of the 29 residents of the two nursing homes in Lagos and diagnoses based on DSM-III-R criteria (APA, 1987) and AGECAT (Copeland et al., 1986) were made independently.


RESULTS
The commonest diagnoses were dementia in 11 out of 23 residents and depression in four residents. Overall prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders was 74%.


CONCLUSIONS
The present prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders is similar to those reported in similar institutions in the industrialized societies. This has implications for the care of the elderly in a non-industrialized society.
Baiyewu
O
O
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Adeyemi
J D
JD
Ogunniyi
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence