INCIDENCE AND PATTERN OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AMONG DERMATOLOGICAL PATIENTS

Introduction: Mental disorders are common among patients with skin diseases. Aim: The aim of the study was to understand the severity of psychiatric morbidity and to look at patterns of psychiatric complaints in dermatological patients. Patients and Methods: Three hundred and twelve randomly selected patients aged 15-60 years from the Outpatient Dermatology Unit of Bahawal-Victoria Hospital / Quaid-e-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur for one-year duration from October 2019 to October 2020 and were included in the study. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the screening tests were performed with the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) in Urdu. In a second step, those who tested positive for psychiatric randomness in step 1 were given a psychiatric plan version of Urdu (PAS). Results: According to the GHQ-12 screening, 122 of 312 patients (39.1%) were positive for psychiatric performance; prevalence was slightly higher among women (58/142; 40.8%) compared to men (64/170; 37.6%). The pattern of psychiatric complaints detected by PAS was as follows: major depression in 17.3% (54/312) of patients, generalized anxiety disorder in 7.6% (24), mixed anxiety-depressive state in 11.2% (35) and dysthymia in 1.7% (6) of 312 patients. No panic disorder was diagnosed in any of the patients. Conclusion: Overall, psychiatric comorbidity is very common (39.1%) among dermatological patients compared to the general population or primary care clinics. If the therapist is aware of the detection and treatment of these comorbidities, better quality care can be additionally provided. Keywords: Incidence, pattern, psychiatry, dermatology