Depression is a common psychiatric disorder among diabetic subjects in this environment. It was suggested that diabetic patients be screened for depression to allow for early detection and treatment.

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Background:The role of gender in psychiatry disorders is becoming increasingly important. This study is therefore, aimed at identifying gender pattern of admissions to a public mental health centre with regards to demographic characteristic, psychiatry diagnosis and length of stay on admission. Method: In this retrospective study Hospital records of 388 patients admitted at the psychiatric section of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Makurdi, between January, 2004 and December, 2008 were studied for gender differences regarding demographic attributes, length of stay and psychiatry diagnoses. Results: Findings revealed that more men than women were admitted overall. Most men (56%) were less than 30 years old whereas 60.6% of women were within 30-59 years aged bracket. For men the main diagnosis was schizophrenia (30.5%), followed by substance related disorders (16.5%) then depression (14.0%); for women the main diagnosis was also schizophrenia (30.3%), this was followed by depression (24.5%), only one woman was diagnosed with substance related disorder. A statistically significant association was also found between having a personality disorder and being a male (p=0.009). Most female were single and belong to the lowest occupational group. There was no significant difference in the gender distribution of patients with respect to length of stay on admission (p=0.161). Conclusion:The results revealed how psychiatry diagnosis is significantly influence by gender issues. We therefore recommend that; for a more effective psychiatry formulation, it is imperative to pay attention to gender issues that may affect the development of psychopathology.

The prolonged Boko Haram crises in North-East Nigeria caused serious displacement and left the survivors with multiple psychological consequences such as Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A high prevalence rate of PTSD among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) has been reported across literatures. This study aimed to determine the factors that are associated with PTSD and its relationship with functional disability among IDPs in Yobe State, Nigeria. This was a cross sectional study of 450 respondents, recruited using a systematic sampling method. We used Harvard Trauma Questionnaire to screen for symptoms of PTSD and definite diagnosis made with WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), PTSD Module. Hopkins Symptom Checklist was used for symptoms of depression and definite diagnosis made with CIDI Depression Module. The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 was used to measure functional disability. There were 192 (45.5%) males and 230(54.5%) female respondents. The mean age of respondents was 39.4±18.50 years with range of 18-80 years. Significant PTSD symptoms were found among 159(37.7%) of the IDPs while Clinical interview gave a definite prevalence of 18.5%. Two hundred and forty-four (57.8%) of the respondents had disability scores in the mild range, 17.5% in the moderate range while 20.7% were in the severe range. Majority of those with disability scores in the severe range had PTSD. Factors significantly associated with PTSD were age, marital status, duration of displacement, type of abode, general living condition, self-reported general health, and disability score. A High prevalence rate of PTSD was found among IDPs and the severity of disability correlated well with having diagnosis of PTSD in the study.

Background Human rights watchdogs have described conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities and detention centers as damaging to the physical and mental health of inmates. While the prevalence of mental disorders is high, access to appropriate healthcare is grossly inadequate. Understanding the current state of prison inmates’ mental health and well-being is an essential first step to addressing this important issue. This study aims to document the mental health and experiences of incarceration of inmates of the largest medium security prison in Nigeria’s Benue State. Methods A cross-sectional survey and descriptive analysis was carried out with a random sample of 381 prison inmates of Benue State Makurdi Medium Security Prison. Survey tools included: (1) a structured questionnaire on participants’ experiences in prison, and (2) the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a screening tool for depression. Results Most participants were young men (95.5%, mean age 27.95) and had completed secondary school (63.5%). While prison authorities had identified only 27 participants as having a mental disorder, 144 (37.8%) screened positive for depression. Twenty six had received professional counseling while in prison. Of the six participants who were already taking a psychotropic medication at the time of imprisonment, four received medication after being imprisoned. Approximately half, (52%) of participants were dissatisfied with prison health care. Conclusions Despite the high prevalence of depression among prison inmates, few cases are detected and treated. Prison staff may not recognize depression as a mental disorder, and the mental health care available is generally poor. Inadequate mental health and social care not only affects prison inmates’ well-being, but may also impact recidivism and health outcomes upon release. Prison inmates should be screened routinely for depression and other less-commonly recognized mental health conditions, and appropriate treatment made available.

A common factor in the development of mental disorders, including depression, is exposure to trauma. Boko Haram crisis has ravaged the North East part of Nigeria and has left indelible traumatic effect on the inhabitants especially the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who fled their homes for survival. Previous studies reported high rates of depression and disability among IDPs. We set out to investigate the prevalence of depression, disability and correlates among the IDPs in two selected camps in Yobe state. We carried out a cross sectional study among 422 adult IDPs selected through a systematic sampling method. One hundred and ninety two (45.5%) were males. The mean age of the subjects was 39.4±18.50 years with range of 18-80 years. Of the 422 IDPs, 166(39.3%) had probable depression and 76(18.0%) had definite depression. Factors significantly associated with diagnosis of depression were; age (p=0.028), marital status (p=0.001), living condition (p=0.001), general health (p=0.001) and WHODAS 2.0 scores (p=0.001). Logistic regression revealed that age <20years (OR=8.4;p=0.001), being an IDP in the camp irrespective of the living condition (OR=3.6;p=0.001), being single/unmarried (OR=10.0;p=0.048) and comorbid PTSD predicted diagnosis of depression. Having a disability score in the severe range (OR=5.7;p=0.001) strongly correlated with having depression in the study. There is a high rate of depression among IDPs in North-east, Nigeria. Having a diagnosis of depression correlated well with the severity of disability in study. We recommend regular psychiatric services as part of routine medical services to IDPs as health cannot be complete without mental health.

Depression has been consistently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is also known to play an essential role in the initiation and exacerbation of CVD. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of depression among patients attending the cardiology clinic of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi. The study was conducted among one hundred and six (106) consenting patients attending the cardiology unit of BSUTH from June to August 2017. The result shows that, 52(49.1%) were males while the remaining 54(50.9%) were females. The mean age of the respondents was 53.48±14.77years, twenty-eighty respondents representing 26.4% were married at the time of the study, 15(14.2%) were single while the remaining 63(59.4%) were previously married. Thirty-seven (34.9%) of the study subjects had no formal education and eighty-two (77.4%) of the presentation at the clinic were having a diagnosis of hypertension, 8(7.5%) were being treated for Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), 9(8.5%) were diagnosed with cardiomyopathies, 3(2.8%) were diagnosed heart failure and 4 (3.8%) had other cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of depression was found to be 45.3% in this study, there was a statistically significant relationship between the diagnoses of depression and gender status (p=0.001), marital status (p=0.01), partner relationship (p=0.001), substance abuse (p=0.001). No statistically significant relationship was found between depression and occupational status (p=0.167), level of educational attainment (p=0.401), respondents’ weight (p=0.06), and the nature of cardiovascular diagnoses (p=0.951). We recommended early detection and treatment of depression among patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Aims: Schizophrenia is a devastating and disabling disorder associated with long term negative consequences and may require lifelong treatment. It is often complicated with self-stigma which makes treatment difficult and may be a source of complications. Ensuring good outcome will therefore, involve taking cognizance of self-stigma in the treatment plan. Studies examining self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia is scanty in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia as well as identifying some of the correlates of self-stigma in the patients. Study Design:  Cross-sectional survey Place and Duration of Study: Outpatient clinic of a Neuropsychiatry hospital in Lagos state, Nigeria. Methodology: 320 adult patients with schizophrenia were recruited using a consecutive sampling technique. MINI international Neuropsychiatric interview (Psychotic disorder module) was used to confirm the diagnosis, after which socio-demographic questionnaire and the Internalized Stigma of Mental illness Inventory (ISMI), were administered to the patients. The data was analyzed with SPSS version 16 and the result presented in frequency tables, percentages, mean and standard deviation where necessary. Results: Majority of the participants (83.4%) were less than 50 years old, they were mostly females (57.2%), of Yoruba ethnic group (59.7%), Christians (75.6%), and were low-income earners, earning either no income or less than ₦18,000 monthly (72.2%). Also, over four-fifth (86.2%) had good social support.  Over a third (38.1%), were married, with about 80 percent of these living with their spouses while 46.5% were never married. The prevalence of self-stigma was 25.3%. Educational attainment below secondary school and multiple illness episodes were found to predict self-stigma in the study. Conclusion: Self-stigma is common in schizophrenia and its consideration in management is necessary for a good treatment outcome.