Mental health difficulties among attendees in the emergency department of Baghdad teaching hospital

Abstract EN

background: Mental health difficulties contribute significantly to the burden of disease worldwide.

The trend in emergency department visits relating to mental illness has increased in the last decade, as many studies show.

Objectives: The present study examined the pattern of psychiatric cases presenting at the emergency department (ED) of the Baghdad Teaching Hospital.

Sociodemographic data are described in the studied sample.

Method: Patients attending the ED on Tuesdays between March 2015 and January 2016 with mental health difficulties were interviewed via a short questionnaire based on the diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) to establish the diagnosis.

Results: Across the study period, an average of 81 people attended the ED on Tuesdays from which, an average of four people were identified as having mental health difficulties.

In total N=148 people (4.8% of the total) were assessed; 58.1% were men (M=33 years), 43% married, 39% unemployed, 54% had positive family history of psychiatric illness.

The most commonly reported symptoms were somatic symptom disorder and related disorder s, but concerns about the side effects of psychotropic medications were also high.

Conclusion: The number of adults presenting with mental health difficulties in the ED was high, and visits due to experiencing a mental disorder generally reflected the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among different population subgroups.