Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Profile of Outpatients Seen at the Psychiatry Department of the Lieutenant-Colonel Mamadou Diouf Regional Hospital Center of Saint-Louis, Senegal
Background: Psychiatry is the medical discipline devoted to the study, prevention and treatment of mental disorders and to the rehabilitation of patients. In Senegal, data on outpatient psychiatric activity outside the capital remain scarce. Aim: To describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic profile of patients seen in outpatient consultation at the psychiatry department of the Lieutenant-Colonel Mamadou Diouf Regional Hospital Center of Saint-Louis. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective study was carried out on the medical records of patients seen in outpatient psychiatric consultation between 2 January and 30 June 2025, using an exhaustive sampling method. Results: Of 2000 medical records reviewed, 1117 were retained. Female patients predominated (57.48%, sex ratio 1.35). The 21 - 30-year age group was the most represented (28.29%), and 47.99% of patients were single; 38.76% had between 1 and 5 children. The most frequent reasons for consultation were insomnia (19.64%), seizures (15.07%) and incoherent speech (10.21%). The time to consultation ranged from 1 to 6 months in 59.09% of patients. A personal medical history was found in 66.25% of patients, with epilepsy being the most frequent (32.5%). The most frequent ICD-11 diagnoses were epilepsy (32.50%), schizophrenia (19.25%) and acute and transient psychotic disorder (10.92%). Regarding treatment, antipsychotics (48.8%) and antiepileptics (32.4%) were the most frequently prescribed, together with psychotherapy and outpatient care. Under treatment, 60.79% of patients were in ongoing remission and 13.79% in complete remission, while 25.43% experienced relapse. Conclusion: Outpatient consultation constitutes the first point of contact between patients and the psychiatry department. Well-conducted pharmacological and psychotherapeutic management is associated with regression of mental disorders.
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