INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC REFERRALS IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL - A CASE-CONTROLLED REPORT

The 77 (47 females, 30 males) in-patient referrals to the Psychiatric Department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a 1-year period, were compared with a control sample of 75 (45 females, 30 males) unreferred patients. The low referral rate of 0.8%, after e xcluding deliberate self-harm (relatively infrequent in Nigeria), was comparable to reports in Western literature. Treatable minor psychiatr ic morbidity, mainly anxiety and depressive disorders, occurred in 41. 3% of the controls. Sixty-eight percent of those referred had definite mental disorders, most commonly psychoses (50.7%), especially deliriu m (29.9%). Infectious disorders, notably Salmonella typhi infection, w ere the most predominant physical etiological factors. The results are discussed and the implications highlighted. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevi er Science Inc.