title: Psychiatric Morbidity among Subjects with Leprosy and Albinism in South East Nigeria: A Comparative Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin, which is the largest organ in the body, carries immense psychological significance. Disfiguring skin disorders may impact negatively on the mental health of individuals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study compared the psychiatric morbidity of subjects with leprosy and albinism.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred subjects with leprosy and 100 with albinism were interviewed. Sociodemographic questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) assessed the sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric morbidity, respectively. GHQ positive cases and 10% of noncases for each group were interviewed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory for specific ICD-10 diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-five percent (55/100) subjects with leprosy were GHQ positive cases while 41% (41/100) with albinism were GHQ positive cases. The risk of developing psychiatric morbidity was significantly higher in subjects with leprosy than in subjects with albinism (OR = 1.76, CI = 1.00 - 3.08, P = 0.04). The prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders among subjects with leprosy were depression 49% (49/100), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) 18% (18/100), alcohol/drug abuse 16% (16/100), whereas in albinism depression was 51% (51/100), GAD 27% (27/100), and alcohol/drug abuse 7% (7/100). Male, married and uneducated subjects with leprosy had significantly higher psychiatric morbidity than the male, married and uneducated subjects with albinism, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychiatric morbidity was higher in subjects with leprosy than in subjects with albinism. Male, married and uneducated subjects with leprosy significantly had higher morbidity than male, married and uneducated subjects with albinism respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Attama
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uwakwe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Onyeama
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Igwe
keywords: Albinism; Leprosy; Psychiatric morbidity