THE PATTERN OF ADMISSION TO JEDDAH PSYCHIATRIC-HOSPITAL

We studied all the case notes of patients admitted to Jeddah Psychiatr ic Hospital in a period of 1 year, aiming at delineating the pattern o f admission and the related sociocultural factors. In spite of the dif ficulties and drawbacks inherent in such retrospective studies on hosp ital populations, few, but albeit, significant intrasample differences emerged due to sex. In contrast to the universal excess of females am ong psychiatric patients, we found males always outnumbering females w ith a ratio of 2 to 1 as out-patients and in-patients. Females were al so found to have a better chance of getting married in the presence of mental illness, but showed higher rates of divorce. Other significant differences due to sex were the length of stay in hospital per index admission and the nature of symptoms prevailing in the period immediat ely before admission.