Mental disorders among internal medical inpatients - Prevalence, detection, and treatment status

Objective: To determine the prevalence of ICD-IO mental disorders among internal medical inpatients, the relation between mental disorder, age, and gender, and the recognition and referral of the disordered patients. Method: 294 consecutive medical inpatients were examined with a two-phase design using the SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry) for ICD-10 psychiatric diagnoses. Information from questionnaires and interviews with patients, doctors, nurses, and from medical records. Results: The prevalence of current mental disorders was 38.7%, being heavily increased in young patients. Main diagnoses were somatoform disorders (17.6%), phobias (12.9%), substance use disorders (10.9%), and depression (8.3%). Psychiatric consultations were very few. About 38-56% of the cases were recognized by medical doctors and nurses, and only about 20% were in mental health treatment. Conclusion: The prevalence of mental disorders among internal medical inpatients is high and increased in young patients and women. Detection and referral are low, and few are treated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science inc. All rights reserved.