ABSTRACT
Background: Mental health problem is a major public health issue all over the world including India. In India, mental disorders are the leading contributors to significant morbidity and disability amongst those affected. With changing health pa?erns among Indians, mental behavior and substance use disorders are coming to the forefront in health care delivery systems. Objec?ve: This study was aimed to assess the diagnos?c pa?ern of psychiatric morbidity among the pa?ents a?ending psychiatric outpa?ent department in a private medical college. Methodology: This cross-sec?onal study was carried out in the Department of Psychiatry in Prathima Ins?tute of Medical Sciences located at Karimnagar, Telangana, India. For this study, a total of 442 new subjects a?ending Psychiatry Outpa?ent Department (OPD) from August 2020 to July 2021 were taken. All the informa?on including longitudinal histories of pa?ents was recorded in files and the diagnosis was made following Diagnos?c and Sta?s?cal Manual of Mental Disorders-Fi?h Edi?on (DSM 5). Sociodemographic parameters and family history of mental illness were collected from the record file of the individual pa?ent. Results: In the present study, among the different age groups, the majority (28.05%) of the study subjects were of the age ranging from 21-30 years. The distribu?on according to gender was (62.89%) males and (37.10%) females. The majority of the study subjects belonged to the rural background (69.45%), educated up to 10th standard (28.73%), self-employed (29.86%), married (67.42%), belonged to Hindu religion (85.74%), and with a monthly family income of 5,000 to 10,000 (38.68%). The majority of the study subjects were diagnosed with Major depressive Disorders (28.05%), followed by anxiety disorders (17.87%) and Substance-Related and Addic?ve Disorders (16.96%). Conclusion: This study provides informa?on about the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among pa?ents a?ending outpa?ent department in a private medical hospital in Northern Telangana. It helps in assessing the pa?ern of psychiatric problems and taking necessary steps to plan for better management of mental health care in the near future.