Nerimo sutrikimai

Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders Amongst General Hospital Inpatients

G. Daubaras, Vilnius University Hospital, Adult Policlinic, Vilnius, Lithuania

There is a striking lack of studies of anxiety disorders in General Hospital in Lithuania.

The aim of the study was to identify patients with anxiety disorders in Vilnius 3^rd clinical Hospital, to determine prevalence and nature of problems.

Methods: we conducted consultation in three hospital departments: gastroenterology and two medicine. Patient Registration Form developed in ECLW was used for selection of datas and analysis. During a period of 2,5 months in 1992 were seen by consultant psychiatrist 160 patients (53,2 % of all admitted) and there after during a period of 1,5 month 110 patients, age over 65 years (81,5 % of admitted with age over 65 years).

Results: of 80 patients with anxiety disorders women predominated by ratio 5,7:1, the most frequent age group was 65-74 years (40 %), 55 % of patients were over 65 years. Only 12,5 % of all patients had a previous history of psychiatric admissions or consultations and about 84 % physical care in hospitals during last five years. Anxiety disorders were the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses (ICD-10) -29,6 %; of which 11,1 % was Agoraphobia with panic, 4,8 % Organic anxiety, 4,1 % Generalized anxiety, 3,3 % Panic and 6,3 % other anxiety disorders. The somatic diagnoses, length of stay, level of functioning, level of disablement, outpatient aftercare are also discussed.

Conclusion: very high prevalence of Anxiety Disorders has been found. The majority of patients with psychiatric and medical comorbidity are not treated in the mental health sector due to lack of these services in General Hospitals and Policlinics.

  12^th World Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine, Bern/Switzerland, 29 August-2 September 1993