Patterns of psychiatric disorders among elderly patients (>50 years) attending psychiatric outpatient clinics at the m mental health hospital, Buraidah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia
Author: Qureshi, Naseem Akhtar, Hegazi, Ibrahim Soliman
Source:
Arab Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 5(1), May 1994: 48-56.
200 psychiatric outpatients over 50 yrs old were recruited to study patterns of psychiatric disorders by using multiple psychiatric rating scales. It was revealed that family type, occupation, and social class were significantly correlated with some clusters of mental disorders. One unexpected result was that both sexes equally utilized the mental health services; 49.5% of patients had different psychopathologies with an onset of under 50 yrs, and 48% of probands showed physical comorbidity. In addition to the discussion of findings and limitations of this study, some clinical implications were highlighted and recommendations were given.