[Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in men and women hospitalized in a internal medicine service of a hospital of Santiago, Chile].
BACKGROUND
Mental disorders may interfere, aggravate or mimic medical conditions.


OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among patients hospitalized in a medical ward of a general hospital.


METHODS
A structured interview for DSM-III, devised for "non patients", was applied to 203 men and 203 women, aged 11 to 90 years old, hospitalized in an internal medicine service of a public hospital. Thirty four psychiatric conditions that can be discriminated with the instrument and others that complied with DSM-III criteria, were investigated.


RESULTS
There was a 60% prevalence of mental disorders among men (alcohol dependency in 26%, delirium or dementia in 10.8%, anxiety disorders in 10.4%, major depression in 7.8% and adaptation disorders in 3%). Among women, the prevalence of mental disorders was 65% (major depression in 23.2%, anxiety disorders in 14.3%, adaptation disorders in 8.4%, dementia in 5.6%, delirium in 3% and alcohol dependency in 2.5%). Most conditions were of moderate or mild intensity. Two or more conditions coexisted in 40% of cases. Only in 8% of these subjects, a psychiatric consultation was requested.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a high frequency of psychiatric disorders among medical patients. These must be adequately diagnosed and treated.
Hernández
G
G
Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Campus Sur, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. gmo-hernandez@hotmail.com
Ibáñez
C
C
Kimelman
M
M
Orellana
G
G
Montino
O
O
Núñez
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence