Abstract:
Background: The elderly are vulnerable to illness and particularly to psychiatric
illness. Many mentally ill elderly patients end up on non-psychiatric wards owing
to somatization of their illnesses. Even for these patients, a psychiatric diagnosis
may not be made. The literature on the elderly in Uganda is very scanty. This
study aims to establish the prevalence and factors associated with psychiatric
disorders among elderly patients admitted to non-psychiatric wards.
Methods: We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study of 127 consenting
elderly patients. They were administered a standardized questionnaire
comprising the Self Reporting Questionnaire 25, the Mini-mental State
Examination and the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual IV. Study variables included socio-demographic
characteristics, physical illnesses, psychiatric disorders and the treatment being
given.
Results: The rate of psychiatric morbidity was 48%. The sex ratio was 1:1;
however, women had a higher rate of psychiatric illness than men, 54.6%
and 41.3% respectively. Being widowed or separated and having cancer
were associated with SRQ>5, p=0.02 and p=0.04 respectively. Depressive
disorders were the most common at 25.2% and were more common in women.
Increasing age was associated with dementia (p < 0.00).
Conclusion: There is a high rate of psychiatric morbidity among the elderly in
Uganda. Particular attention should be given to the psychological health of
elderly people admitted to general hospitals.
