Socio-demographic Characteristics and Diagnostic Profile of Patients Attending Psychiatric OPD of a Private Hospital in Western Region of Nepal

Background: Mental health services in Nepal are limited and there is a scarcity of epidemiological studies in our country. The present study is done with the aim to study the socio-demographic characteristic and diagnostic profile of patients attending the psychiatric OPD. Methods: This is a retrospective study where case records of all new patients, diagnosed to be suffering from Mental and Behavioral disorders according to Chapter V (F) of ICD-10, who attended the OPD from July 2011 to December 2011, were included in the study. Results: Maximum patients fall in the younger age group and are females. The patients were found to be suffering from neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (35.4%) followed by mood disorder (18.3%), schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders (17.4%) and mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (9.7%). Conclusion: Mental disorders comprise a wide variety of disorders and affect the most productive age group suggesting the need for early identification and prompt management. Keywords: ICD-10 DCR; psychiatric OPD; psychiatric morbidity; neurotic disorders DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njms.v1i1.5790 Nepal Journal of Medical Sciences. 2012; 1(1): 15-18