Patients with anxiety disorders, stress related disorders and somatoform disorders in the Psychiatric Emergency Out-patient Clinic.
OBJECTIVE
To establish possible differences in gender, age and urgency between patients with anxiety disorders, stress related disorders and somatoform disorders and patients with other psychiatric diagnoses.


METHODS
2760 consecutive admissions in the Psychiatric Emergency Out-patient Clinic (PEOC) over the period 2004-2005 were included. Data about diagnosis (ICD-10), gender, age and urgency were gathered from medical documentation. Data were compared between two groups of patients according to diagnosis; the first group encompassed anxiety disorders, stress related disorders and somatoform disorders (F 40-F 48) and the second group gathered all other psychiatric diagnoses (others).


RESULTS
One third (36%) of patients examined in PEOC suffered for anxiety disorders, stress related disorders and somatoform disorders. The most common diagnoses within this group were stress related disorders (F 43: 41.7%). Gender ratio was in favour of women in both groups. Significantly more women suffered for anxiety, stress-related and somatoform disorders (63.4% vs. 56.9%, p<0.005). Patients with anxiety, stress-related and somatoform disorders were significantly younger compared with others (40.4 years vs. 45.2 years, p<0.001), and they were significantly less urgent cases compared with others (46.7% vs. 65.3.3%, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Anxiety disorders, stress related disorders and somatoform disorders are common in PEOC. The higher percentage of women among these patients is in accordance with data from the literature; lower age might be a consequence of earlier onset of the above mentioned disorders.
Segrec
Nusa
N
University Psychiatric Hospital Ljubljana, Studenec 48, 1260 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Delić
Mirjana
M
Pregelj
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D017524:Slovenia; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D040921:Stress Disorders, Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data