Psychiatric morbidity in medical and surgical wards of a Nigerian general hospital.

Psychological disorders among 275 medical and surgical in-patients was assessed by a two-stage screening procedure, using the GHQ-30 and the PSE. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 30.2% with an additional 9.8% reporting distressing psychiatric symptoms. The morbidity rates among medical (30.6%) and surgical (29.6%) patients were comparable. Older patients and females were found to be more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders. It is suggested that the paramedical personnel in general hospital wards of developing countries could be taught psychosocial intervention techniques necessary in the management of emotional complications of physical disorders.