Patterns and prevalence of psychiatric illnesses presenting to the emergency department

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric emergencies are often difficult to study, owing to their acute and quite frequent syndromic presentation. There is a scarcity of data regarding the prevalence and patterns of psychiatric emergencies attending general hospital psychiatric units. Objective: To identify the pattern and prevalence of psychiatric illnesses presenting to the emergency departments in a general hospital care setting. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 82 psychiatric patients aged 10 to 60 years and above. Sociodemographic details were obtained, and psychiatric diagnoses were based on the International Classification of Diseases 10 th edition diagnostic criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi Info 7 software. Results: The overall prevalence of psychiatric emergencies was found to be 1.59%. They were most prevalent among males and females aged 20-39, females involved in household work, males involved in agriculture, patients with lower socioeconomic status and residents of rural areas. A significant gender difference was observed regarding patients' occupational and living status. Common diagnoses included substance use disorders (21.9%), dissociative disorders (18.3%), bipolar disorder (17.1%), psychotic disorders (17.1%), and depressive disorders (14.6%). Conclusion: Overall, this study provides insight into various types of presentations of psychiatric disorders in patients visiting the emergency department. Moreover, it is a contribution to determining the prevalence of psychiatric emergencies in a general hospital setting.