Pattern of psychiatric presentation among a population of mentally ill patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Background: Mental illness is a serious condition of public health concern. It affects people of all ages with different clinical presentations, and usually affects the overall functioning of the individuals

Aim: This study determined the pattern of psychiatric presentation among a population of mentally ill patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.

Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among attendees of Neuropsychiatric Outpatient Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). A structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics and other factors were self-administered to 75 patients diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders via a systematic random sampling technique. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data and expressed in frequency tables.

Results: Majority of the mentally ill patients were male (81%), single (76.0%), and between the ages of 21 and 30 (44%). The most common psychiatric presentation include depression 19(25.3%), followed by anxiety disorder 16(21.3%), BAD 12(16.0%), substance misuse 9(12.0%), schizophrenia 11(14.7%), sleep 1(1.3%), and personality disorder 1(1.3%). The duration of treatment of mental illness was majorly within the last 5 years with the highest percentage representation (34.7%).

Conclusion: Psychiatric presentations among the mentally ill exits in different forms. Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder among those studied. More medical, social and financial support should be given to the mentally ill as most of them have very high chances of developing depression.