[Psychiatric diagnostic problems of mentally retarded patients].
Although the knowledge of psychiatric disorders appearing in course of mental retardation is wider, there is still no straightforward data concerning their frequency, symptomatology, and factors responsible for their appearance. Symptomatology of disorders and psychiatric illnesses presented by mentally retarded patients may differ from the one presented by healthy control. Nowadays it is commonly considered that the same disorders and illnesses are diagnosed among mentally retarded as well as among general population.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze of psychopthologic symptoms observed during the admission of mentally retarded patients to psychiatric hospital, to analyze comorbid psychiatric disorders and stated diagnoses.


METHODS
The medical documentation of patients hospitalized in Babiński's Hospital in Łódź (SPZOZ) in 2006 with diagnosis of mental retardation (F70-F79 according to ICD-10). The patients hospitalized throughout the year 2006 with comorbid psychiatric diagnosis as well as those with only stated mental retardation were taken into account. The analysis was based on questionnaire specially prepared for that paper. The results were statistically analyzed.


RESULTS
In mentally retarded patients admitted to psychiatric hospital behavior disorders were the most frequently observed ones, subsequently psychosis and impulse control disorders. Psychiatric disorder were mainly demonstrated by aggression and psychomotor agitation. Psychiatric disorders at mentally retarded patients are expressed by nonspecific syndromes, among which the most common are aggression, mood lowering, psychomotor agitation, dysphoria, irritability.


CONCLUSIONS
Nonspecific syndromes, communication difficulties and low prevalence of standardized diagnostic methods for mentally retarded patients are the reasons for still low number of precise psychiatric stated diagnoses in comparison to the described syndromes and disorders. This results in treating psychiatric syndromes as the consequence of mental retardation itself, not as the consequence of present psychiatric disorder.
Bobińska
Kinga
K
Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi, Klinika Psychiatrii Doroslych. k.bobinska@op.pl
Florkowski
Antoni
A
Smigielski
Janusz
J
Gałecki
Piotr
P
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology