Abstract
Background. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in selected semiurban primary care centers in Lagos Island, Nigeria using the screening tool GHQ-12 and the ICD 10 mental disorders checklist (primary care) (ICD 10 PC). Methods. In this multistage cross-sectional study, 400 participants were recruited by using proportional sampling of 17,787 attendees. Results. Of all respondents, 45.8% scored positive on GHQ-12. The most prevalent “any ICD 10 disorder” was unexplained somatic disorder (57.5%), while 2.0 to 7.8% of the respondents reported varying levels of disablement. Younger age (P<0.001) and being widowed (P=0.03) were significantly associated with high GHQ scores while younger age (P<0.001) and male gender (P=0.04) were significantly associated with “any ICD 10 disorder”. Conclusion. These findings are a useful guide to the probable prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in primary care in Nigeria and in the design of appropriate interventions.
Highlights
The majority of individuals with psychiatric morbidity in the community are usually seen at the primary care level [1,2,3,4,5], with prevalence rates ranging from 16 to 43% of general practice users [1, 6,7,8]
The most prevalent mental disorders presenting in primary care settings are depression, 5% to 20% [10], generalized anxiety disorder, 4% to 15% [11], harmful alcohol use and dependence, 5% to 15% [12], and somatization disorders, 5% to 11% [13]
Studies of children and adolescents have demonstrated a high prevalence of mental disorders in primary care settings
Summary
The majority of individuals with psychiatric morbidity in the community are usually seen at the primary care level [1,2,3,4,5], with prevalence rates ranging from 16 to 43% of general practice users [1, 6,7,8].In different countries of the world, the prevalence of mental disorders in primary care settings has been extensively researched and, in adults, ranges between 10% and 60% [8, 9]. The most prevalent mental disorders presenting in primary care settings are depression, 5% to 20% [10], generalized anxiety disorder, 4% to 15% [11], harmful alcohol use and dependence, 5% to 15% [12], and somatization disorders, 5% to 11% [13]. Studies of children and adolescents have demonstrated a high prevalence of mental disorders in primary care settings. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in selected semiurban primary care centers in Lagos Island, Nigeria using the screening tool GHQ-12 and the ICD 10 mental disorders checklist (primary care) (ICD 10 PC). These findings are a useful guide to the probable prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in primary care in Nigeria and in the design of appropriate interventions
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