Psychiatric Morbidity at Primary Care: Study from a Community Mental Health Clinic at Sundarban, India
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Accession number;05A0371123
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| Title;Psychiatric Morbidity at Primary Care: Study from a Community Mental Health Clinic at Sundarban, India |
| Author;
CHOWDHURY ARABINDA N.
(Inst. Of Psychiatry, Kolkata, Ind)
BRAHMA ARABINDA
(Inst. Of Psychiatry, Kolkata, Ind)
BANERJEE SOHINI
(Inst. Of Psychiatry, Kolkata, Ind)
BISWAS MRINAL K.
(Inst. Of Psychiatry, Kolkata, Ind)
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Journal Title;Int Med J
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Journal Code:L4914A
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ISSN:1341-2051
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VOL.12;NO.1;PAGE.11-18(2005)
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| Figure&Table&Reference;FIG.1, TBL.4, REF.22 |
| Pub. Country;Japan |
| Language;English |
| Abstract;Objective: A Community Psychiatric Clinic was conducted at the Namkhana block of Sundarban region of West Bengal, India for a period of two years as a component of a community mental health program development in this region. The primary objective of this study was to examine the pattern of distribution of designated mental disorders in this remote island community and to focus attention on the help seeking behavior of the patients and their family members. Methods: A total of 24 clinics were conducted at the Dwariknagar Block Primary Health Centre (BPHC) and 11 satellite clinics at other Primary Health Centres (PHC) of the Namkhana block during February 2002-January 2004. A total of 1030 patients attended the clinics of which 548 were new patients (male 259, female 289). Among the new attendance, 68 persons (male 37, female 31) did not have any psychiatric diagnosis. Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis was made by a mental health team by following the DSM-IV guidelines. Results: Major Depressive Disorder (12.6%) was the most common diagnosis followed by Mental Retardation, Somatoform disorder; Epilepsy, Schizophrenia and Conversion disorder. Female attendance was more than the males. Most of the patients came for psychiatric help after a gap of long time interval following the onset of their major psychiatric illnesses. Conclusion: Psychiatric morbidity at the primary care level is impressive and needs a community based mental health care and attention. The clinical and cultural meanings of different mental illnesses are important consideration in the treatment compliance. Planned utilization of the local human resources is obligatory in the development and continuation of the community mental health service program. (author abst.) |
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