A study of the social and clinical characteristics of in-patients at a psychiatric unit in northern Nigeria.

In a study of the social and clinical characteristics of inpatients at the Jos University Teaching Hospital Psychiatric unit in Northern Nigeria, 387 patients made up from 421 consecutive admissions into the unit over a 9-month period, were studied. The patients were followed up at the out-patient clinic after discharge for a period of at least 3 months. Functional psychoses (66%) and especially schizophrenia (35%) predominated. About 14% of the cohort had depressive psychosis. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) excess of females with depressive illness. The mean duration of hospitalization was 15 days and at discharge, the majority of the patients (79%) were improved. Three months after discharge, 46% of the patients had defaulted from follow-up. The most important factor associated with default was patients' residence of 100 kilometres or more from the hospital. Of those still attending the out-patient clinic 15% had relapsed.