Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Khalid, Jameel Ahmad Shaheen, Ishtiaq Ahmad.
Prevalence and pattern of psychiatric disorders among dermatological patients.
J Pak Assoc Derma Jan ;15(1):13-7.

Background Psychiatric disorders are common among patients with a skin disease. Objective: The purpose of this study was to find out the intensity of psychiatric morbidity and to see the pattern of psychiatric ailments in dermatological patients. Patients and methods: Three hundred and twelve randomly-selected patients of 15-60 years from the out-patient, dermatology department of Bahawal-Victoria Hospital/Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, were included in the study. The study was done in two stages. In the 1st stage, General Health Questionnairre-12 (GHQ-12) Urdu version was used for screening purpose. In the 2nd stage, Psychiatric Assessment Schedule (PAS) Urdu version was administered to those who were found to be positive for psychiatric caseness in stage 1. Results: According to GHQ-12 screening, 122 out of 312 patients (39.1%) were positive for psychiatric caseness; the prevalence was slightly higher in females (58/142; 40.8%) as compared to males ( 64/170; 37.6%). The pattern of psychiatric ailments detected by PAS was as follows: major depressive illness in 17.3% (54/312) patients, generalized anxiety disorder in 7.6% (24), mixed anxiety and depression state in 11.2% (35) and dysthymia in 1.7% (6) of the 312 patients. None of the patients was found to be suffering from panic disorder. Conclusion: In conclusion, psychiatric co-morbidity is very common (39.1%) among dermatological patients as compared to the general population or clinics of primary care physicians. If a therapist is well aware of detection and management of these co-morbid conditions, better quality of care can be further assured

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