Psychiatric morbidity in medical, surgical and gynecological in -patient

ABSTRACT

The Present study aims i] to assess the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in hospitalized medical, surgical and gynecological patients and irrespective of their diagnoses [if] to see if there is a difference in prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among these specialties. Non randomize, cross sectional observational study. A tertiary care 300 bedded multidisciplinary teaching hospital of Baqai Medical University, located in the suburbs of Karachi Pakistan. Patients One hundred and four in-patients; medicines 32, surgery 34, gynecology 38, males 44, females 60; mean age 34.5. AKUADS [Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale] an indigenous and validated screening instrument for anxiety-depression syndromes in Urdu which is the national language. 38 patients scored positively giving an overall prevalence of 36.5% for anxiety and depression in hospitalized medical, surgical and gynecological patients. There was a marked difference in prevalence among medical [prevalence 61.1%] surgical [prevalence 32.3%] and gynecological [prevalence 18.4%] patients. [1] There is high prevalence of anxiety and depression among admitted medical, surgical and gymecological patients [36.5%] [2] Prevalence in medical in-patients [61.1%] is almost twice as high as in surgical in-patients.[32.3%] and about three and half times as compared to gynecological patients [18.4%]