Psychiatric Morbidity among Geriatric Patients Attending Psychiatric OPD of a Tertiary Care Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3329/jninb.v11i1.83519Keywords:
Elderly, Psychiatric Disorders, Cognitive Function, Sociodemographic FactorsAbstract
Background: The global elderly population is rapidly increasing, with Bangladesh's elderly demographic expected to rise significantly.
Objective: This study explored pattern of psychiatric disorders and associated sociodemographic factors among elderly patients in a psychiatric hospital OPD setting, aiming to inform targeted management strategies.
Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health's geriatric outpatient clinic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from February to April 2024. A sample of 260 elderly patients aged 60 and above was selected using simple random sampling. Data collection involved a semi-structured questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) for diagnosing psychiatric disorders, and the Bangla Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for assessing cognitive function.
Results: Sleep problems (25.8%) and low mood (20.4%) were the most frequent complaints, followed by elevated mood (17.3%), and anxiety, worry, or apprehension (16.2%). Among the patients 94.6% had one or more psychiatric disorders. The most common psychiatric disorders were schizophrenia spectrum disorders (28.8%) and major depressive disorder (25.8%). Significant associations were found between psychiatric disorders and age, occupation, family type, and physical illness.
Conclusions: The study reveals a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among elderly patients, highlighting the need for targeted mental health interventions.
Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, January 2025;11(1):41-46
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Tariqul Alam, Nadia Afroz, Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, Taiyeb Ibna Zahangir, Anika Basharat, Mohammad Shahadath Hossain, Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, Ahsan Aziz Sarkar
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Articles in the Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh are Open Access articles published under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
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