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Psychiatric Disorders Among Medical In-patients in an Indian Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

S. N. Deshpande*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Safdarjang Hospital, New Dehli 110029
K. R. Sundaram
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, AIIMS, New Delhi 110029, India
N. N. Wig
Affiliation:
Mental Health, WHO, Alexandria, Egypt 21511
*
Correspondence

Abstract

Psychiatric symptoms among medical inpatients in an Indian hospital were assessed: the SRQ was used as a screening instrument, and those with probable psychiatric disorders were given the PSE and MSE, for further, detailed assessment. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 34%, with a further 15% reporting distressing psychiatric symptoms only. The most frequent complaints were delirium and adjustment disorders. They were largely associated with connective tissue, as well as cardiovascular and endocrine, disorders, and were characterised by depression, worrying and irritability. The reliability of the SRQ varied with the cut-off score, which gave optimal specificity and sensitivity when set at 9.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

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