This study summarizes the characteristics of 98 patients with psychoses admitted to the psychiatry department of Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Mangalore, India between 1999-2000. The majority of patients were between 16-55 years old and Hindu. Over half were unemployed/housewives. Marital disturbances and family disputes were common precipitating stressors. A family history of psychiatric illness was reported in 21.4% of cases.
Original Description:
This is a hospital-based study on schizophrenia in Mangalore, South India.
This study summarizes the characteristics of 98 patients with psychoses admitted to the psychiatry department of Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Mangalore, India between 1999-2000. The majority of patients were between 16-55 years old and Hindu. Over half were unemployed/housewives. Marital disturbances and family disputes were common precipitating stressors. A family history of psychiatric illness was reported in 21.4% of cases.
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This study summarizes the characteristics of 98 patients with psychoses admitted to the psychiatry department of Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Mangalore, India between 1999-2000. The majority of patients were between 16-55 years old and Hindu. Over half were unemployed/housewives. Marital disturbances and family disputes were common precipitating stressors. A family history of psychiatric illness was reported in 21.4% of cases.
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Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Mangalore A. Barua, H. Shankar, A. Jain, V.K. Bhat, N. U. Kiran, S. Jayarama
Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore
Introduction Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Attavar is a
tertiary care level private institute, situated at Schizophrenia and related psychoses are the centre of port town of Mangalore in severe mental disorders, which usually start in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka state in adolescence or early adult life, and often India. The migratory population from Tamil become chronic and disabling. They are Nadu and Kerala also often utilize the health considered a major public health problem in care facilities of this hospital. This is a many parts of the world, representing a heavy Retrospective study design based on Case burden both for the families of affected Series Analysis. All in-patients admitted to individuals as well as national health systems. Department of Psychiatry during March 1999 These are group of chronic debilitating and December 2000, constituted a sample size psychiatric illness, characterized by loss of of 98. touch with reality and disorders of thought, behavior, appearance and speech1. Data was collected by using a structured proforma after scrutinizing from case files from While psychiatric disorders in total have a Medical Records Department. The data worldwide prevalence of 32.5%, schizophrenia collected was tabulated and analyzed using the has a prevalence of 1.5% (worldwide). The statistical package of SPSS (Statistical Package prevalence of schizophrenia in India is about for Social Sciences) Version 7.5. 1%, this may be due to diagnostic drawbacks rather than decreased number of cases2. The etiological factors involved in the pathogenesis of the disease include genetic predisposition Results and Discussion (60% concordance rates in monozygotic twins), family environment (presence of stressors and None of the patients were found to be below 16 disease among other family members), viral yrs. of age. Majority (85.7%) were in the age of infection (inconclusive proof), cerebral 16-55 years. This observation is in concordance infections and neurotransmitter disturbances2-4. with the figures quoted by others, who This study was conducted with on objective to observed in their studies that 90% of study the socio-demographic characteristics of schizophrenics belonged to the age group of 15 the patients suffering from schizophrenia and and 54 years3,4. Incidence of schizophrenia related psychoses in a Mangalore hospital. was highest for men between 15 and 24 years and for women the peak appeared between 25 and 34 years3,4. We also observed that females were more affected than males (65.4%) in the Material and Methods age group of 16-25 years and more than 65 years (83.3%). The distribution of cases remained almost equal for both sexes in other schizophrenics in our study had made an age groups. attempt at suicide. The risk of suicide in individuals with schizophrenia has been reported to range from (2-13)%3. Among the stressors, marital disturbances were a Majority of the patients were Hindus (68.4%). precipitating factor for 23.5% cases of Most of them (85.7%) hailed from Karnataka. schizophrenia and related psychoses. This was 14.3% came from Kerala for treatments of their found to be the most important stressor in this mental disorders. 58.2% individuals were study. History of death in the family within the married and majority were females (57.4%). last 12 months was positive in 17.3% cases. Among female patients, 24.1% were unmarried Family disputes accounted for 15.3% and and only 12.2% were either widow, separated Personal problems, including intra and or divorced. interpersonal conflicts acted as a precipitating factor for in 9.2% of the cases. Here, on patient More than half (53.0%) of the unemployed and was subjected to more than one stressor. No housewives were affected with schizophrenia specific references are given to numbers but and related psychoses. Among the unemployed importance is given to family environment group, 10.2% were students. Occupational marital disturbances and problems in status remained unknown in 14.3% cases. We professional life as possible stressors for observed that mental illnesses were common schizophrenia3,4. in working class of society (32.7%).
In this study, only 16.3% patients belonged to
below poverty level. But since this hospital was References a tertiary care level private Institute, majority of the in-patients were above poverty level and 1.Braff L. Schizophrenic Disorders. In: Anthony could afford the treatment cost. While majority et. al. (editors) Harrison’s Principles of Internal (88.8%) of the patients were literates, but the Medicine. New Delhi: McGraw Hill; 1998; P. illiterates and those with lower level of 2415. education, together constituted 50.0% of these cases. It is a well-documented fact that 2.Carpenter WT, Buchana RW. Schizophrenia schizophrenia is more prevalent among the Introduction and Overview. In: Kaplan Hl, lower socio-economic classes and in people Sadock BJ (editors). Comprehensive Text Book with low level of education3. of Psychiatry. Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins; 1995; 889-90. Majority, 58.2% of the patients were living with their spouse, 31.6% living only with their 3.Africa B, Schwartz RS. Schizophrenic children and relatives and only 10.2% were Disorders. In: Howard H Goldman (editor). living alone. In 85.7% of cases, one of the 1st Review of General Psychiatry. New York degree relatives in the family had suffered from Appleton & Lange; 1995, 22. some confirmed psychiatric illness in the past among a total of 21.4% patients who gave a 4.Kasyc M, Norquist GS. Schizophrenia- positive family history of psychiatric illness. Epidemiology, In: Kaplan Hl,Sadock BJ, editors. Only 5.1% patients had a positive family Comprehensive Text Book of Psychiatry. history of suicide or suicidal attempts. 11.2% of Philadelphia: Williams & Wilkins: 1995; P. 908.