Context and objectivesThe prevalence of mental disorders in the Moroccan general population is over 40%. The sector of the mental health in Morocco suffers from an important deficit in human and material resources. Despite all the efforts, Morocco has currently one psychiatrist per 100,000 people and a metropolis like Casablanca with 5 million inhabitants who has only 250 psychiatric beds. The main objective of this study was to find out the sociodemographic, clinical, addictive and criminological profiles of the patients hospitalized in the Ibn-Rushd university psychiatric centre of Casablanca, to define their specificities and to compare them to the world data. MethodsOur study was carried out on the Ibn-Rushd university psychiatric centre of Casablanca inpatients between January 2001 and January 2011, a period of 10 years. Within the scope of the study, 4033 files of patients were analyzed. The demographic, clinical, addictive and criminological data were studied. The statistical analysis was carried out by the software Epi information version 6.04 (Center for Disease Control and prevention CDC, Atlanta, the USA). P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. ResultsSociodemographic data: The mean age of the inpatients was 31.5 years. A total of 77.7% were males. Men had a significantly higher rate of celibacy: 80% of men were unmarried against 54% of women (P<0.0001). Ninety-two percent of inpatients were educated but 21% of women were illiterate. Forty-nine percent made secondary studies and 11% went to university. A total of 83.7% of inpatients were unemployed. Drug use: Our study found a great disparity between men and women. Eighty-four percent of men and 19% of women used drugs. Eighty-three percent of men were smokers. Sixty-eight percent used cannabis, 43.3% alcohol and 16.1% psychotropic. Criminal recordThe rate of incarceration prior to hospitalization was 17% of men and 4% of women. The most common offenses were assaults followed by theft. Thirteen homicides and 16 rapes were reported. Thus, among all patients hospitalized in the Ibn-Rushd university psychiatric centre, 6.8% were incarcerated for assault, 4.4% for robbery, 0.4% for rape and 0.3% for homicide. The average length of incarceration was 14 months. DiagnosisDiagnoses were those mentioned at the admission of patients. The results are significantly different by gender: 64% of men suffered from schizophrenic disorders, 22% from bipolar disorder, and 8% from depression. Bipolar disorder and depression are the most frequent diagnosis in women respectively 35 and 30%, the rate of schizophrenic disorders was 27%. Discussion and conclusionOur study allowed to give the profile of the Ibn-Rushd university psychiatric centre inpatients. The sociodemographic and economic characteristics of our patients reflected the social precarity in which they live. The study highlighted the extreme frequency of drug use (mainly cannabis). Because of the shortage of psychiatric units in Morocco, the Ibn-Rushd university psychiatric centre handled only the most extreme cases which were socially vulnerable with substance abuse as a common comorbidity. So, we can suppose that the other patients use the traditional care system: the “Fqih” and “witchdoctor”. In fact, the dominant social representation of mental illness in Morocco is the magical and supernatural explanation which is rooted in the popular culture. Furthermore, despite the belief that the traditional societies like Morocco are more supportive, stigma is a heavy burden in addition to the disease. Other prospective studies are needed to confirm this trend. The final goal is to develop and adapt the offer of care according to the Moroccan specificities.