A Study of Psychiatric Morbidity in Patients Attending the Medical Gastro Enterology Unit in a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines health a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This includes the capability to be productive both socially and economically. The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a heterogenous group of chronic conditions that are considered to have no structural or biochemical abnormalities that account for the symptoms. They are supposed to originate from malfunction of the gut with respect to the nervous mis perception. In these cases, anxiety and or depression could be present mainly in the ‘state’ and or ‘current’ form, reactive to the symptoms. Aim: Descriptive study to assess the socio demographic profile of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. To study the psychiatric morbidity in gastrointestinal disorder patients attending gastrointestinal clinics. Objectives: To study the relationships between factors attributable to gastrointestinal disorders and psychiatric morbidity. To study the effectiveness of GHQ as a screening instrument for psychiatric morbidity in gastrointestinal patients. Sample: 52 patients with gastrointestinal problems of all kinds who attended OPD with age group of 15-65 years. Methods: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) standardized tool was used. Results: Married patients had higher GAD and MDD compared to unmarried patients. Unemployed and retired people had higher rates of GAD and MDD compared to employ. Students with GI disease had no psychiatric morbidity. All subscales of GHQ showed correlation significantly.