Gender and Psychiatric Morbidity at First Contact in General Practice: A Retrospective Study of Prevalence of Psychiatric Morbidity in a Tertiary Hospital in North Western, Nigeria

Background: Gender is a predictor of prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. The present study was to examine gender difference, prevalence and pattern of psychiatric morbidity among attendees of a general outpatient clinic in a tertiary hospital in sokoto, Nigeria.Methods: A total of 267,000 patients attended the general outpatient clinic department of UDUTH, from January 1st 2009 to December 31st 2011. Available file of the patients totaling 14,000 were manually examined for psychiatric disorder or symptoms. Operational criteria for mental illness were defined, and records of the patients who fulfilled the criteria were included in the study. Gender of the patients were identified and separated accordingly. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS for windows version 16.0.Results: A total of seven hundred and forty patients fulfilled the operational criteria to be included as having psychiatric morbidity. The two genders were equally represented with no significant age difference. About three quarter of the female patients were unemployed while similar proportion of the male were employed although mainly in lower salary occupation. Depression was more prevalent among the female than the male, while among the among the male somatoform disorder and anxiety were more prevalent. The age of onset equally varied with female gender having earlier onset depression. The 4 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were all female and had late onset schizophrenia, the mean age being 33 years.Conclusion: Gender difference existed in the prevalence and pattern of psychiatric morbidity among the patients. High index of suspicion suggested among the general practitioner particularly among female attendees in a general practice.Key Words: Gender, General Practice, Nigeria, Prevalence, Psychiatric Morbidity