Patterns of psychiatric diagnoses in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the current patterns of psychiatric diagnoses in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted on patients seeking psychiatric advice at six hospitals in the five main regions of Saudi Arabia. The data were primarily obtained by reviewing patient charts. Results: Total of 1,205 patients were recruited. The majority was unemployed (71.4%), had a low level of education (85.5%), and had low income (61.9%). The most common psychiatric diagnoses among inpatients were schizophrenia (55.8%), bipolar disorder (23.3%) and major depressive disorder (7.2%). The most common psychiatric diagnoses among outpatients were major depressive disorder (29.3%), schizophrenia (28.9%), generalized anxiety disorder (15.6%) and bipolar disorder (11.5%). Primary psychotic disorders and secondary psychiatric disorders were significantly more frequent among men whereas primary bipolar disorders and depressive disorders were significantly more frequent among women in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Psychotic and bipolar disorders were significantly more frequent among younger patients whereas depressive disorders were significantly more frequent among older patients; anxiety disorders were of similar frequency in all age groups. Discussion: The most common psychiatric diagnoses among inpatients were schizophrenia and bipolar disorder whereas the most common psychiatric diagnoses among outpatients were major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.Alosaimi FD et al. / Arch Clin Psychiatry. 2017;44(3):77-83

<p>Public Awareness, Beliefs, And Attitudes Toward Bipolar Disorder In Saudi Arabia</p>

“…Also, getting married in a conservative Islamic country like Saudi Arabia, where a man will usually marry a woman without a prior personal relationship, may lead people to not choose a future wife who has a psychiatric disorder. Eventually, this may contribute to a high rate of being spouseless among patients with psychiatric illnesses in Saudi Arabia.41 Moreover, higher levels of burden and depressed mood and lower levels of social support were associated with more perceived stigma among caregivers.42 Therefore, it is crucial to consider the caregivers of patients with BP in addition to the patients themselves.…”

More anxious than depressed: prevalence and correlates in a 15-nation study of anxiety disorders in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the general population is still unknown. However, the prevalences of primary anxiety disorders among inpatient and outpatient psychiatric patients in Saudi Arabia have been reported as 1.6% and 16.3%, respectively 29. With regard to diabetes populations in Saudi Arabia (which has one of the highest prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes), studies have reported the prevalence of significant anxiety symptoms to be 28.5%, which was higher in women, those smoking, with a longer duration of diabetes and being unmarried 30.…”

Adult ADHD in the Arab World: A review

“…Different methods were used to assess ADHD in the selected studies. Three studies used medical diagnosis (a medical and clinical team diagnosed them based on medical definitions rather than using selfadministered questionnaires, or structured interviews such as the CIDI) in order to classify patients as ADHD: one failed to mention the exact method used, yet patients were already in a rehabilitation center (Al-Sulaiman, 1997), while in another study psychiatric residents and staff were responsible for the chart review that had psychiatric diagnosis based on DSMIV-TR criteria (Alosaimi et al, 2017). The study done by the authors of this paper, diagnosed patients rigorously based on the DSM system of diagnosis, but not following the checklist systematically.…”

“…One study reported on prevalence of ADHD among 1,205 inpatients (n=443) and outpatients (n=762) attending 6 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The total prevalence of ADHD was 0.3% (n=4), representing 0.2% (n=1) for inpatients and 0.4% (n=3) for outpatients (Alosaimi et al, 2017). In the conference presentation, two of the authors of this present publication, studied various psychiatric disorders among 1,305 adults visiting for the first time an outpatient clinic (MIND) in Lebanon, between January 2014 and December 2016.…”

“…This will be available soon as stated above with the addition of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the already existing Iraq and Lebanon WMH surveys. Furthermore, longitudinal studies which are more demanding than crosssectional studies can be helpful in monitoring ADHD symptoms and psychiatric histories across time, and in determining causality (Alosaimi et al, 2017;Khalil et al, 2016). This may improve the understanding of adult ADHD and the impact it has at both personal and societal levels.…”