Abstract

Background: There is a reason to believe that psychiatric symptoms and psychiatric disorders are common in secondary care settings though few studies have been carried out.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to study the incidence of psychiatric symptoms in secondary care populations and to study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients presenting to secondary care.

Materials and Methods: A total of 200 patients presenting to secondary care (Medical Outpatient Department) in a large tertiary care Armed Forces Hospital in Mumbai were administered the general health questionnaire (GHQ 28). Those patients who had significant scores on the scale were assessed for psychiatric disorders as per ICD 10 criteria by two independent psychiatrists.

Results: The incidence of significant psychiatric symptoms in patients presenting to secondary care was 38% as per GHQ 28. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in secondary care was 26% (depressive disorders 14%, anxiety disorders 8%, somatoform disorders 2%, and alcohol dependence 2%).

Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients presenting to secondary care have significant psychiatric symptoms and well-defined psychiatric disorders.

Key words: Alcohol Dependence; Anxiety Disorders; Depressive Disorders; Secondary Care; Somatoform disorders