Pattern of Psychiatric Illness Among Women Attending Private Psychiatric Consultation Service in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

Among 160 million population in Bangladesh most of them are living in the rural area and about 50% of them are female. In our society most of the female psychiatric patients don't come to the hospital or any private consultation centre of a psychiatrist for their treatment. They mostly depend on treatments practiced by the traditional healers. To assess the pattern of psychiatric illness among the women visited to a private psychiatric consultation service in rural area of Bangladesh. This descriptive cross sectional study was done among the women attending the authors private psychiatric consultation centre in Tangail district from January 2013 to June 2014. All the new patients were included in the study. Socio-demographic data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and psychiatric diagnosis were made by using DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. Total 1173 female patients were included in the study. Most of them were (68%) belonged to 20 years to 40 years of age group. Among the respondents most of them were housewife (62%) of lower class family. Most common psychiatric diagnosis were found major depressive disorder (19%). pain disorder (16%), somatization disorder (12%), schizophrenia (8%), obsessive compulsive disorder (8%), bipolar mood disorder (6%), conversion disorder (4%), adjustment disorder (4%), post partum psychosis (3%). Rest were diagnosed as phobic disorder, substance related disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, epilepsy and dementia, The result of the study indicate that further expansion of psychiatric services in the rural area with special emphasis on early diagnosis and management of psychiatric patients. Policy makers and planners should give attention in this regard.