A study of patients who go to a psychology clinic seeking treatment

In order to characterize a typical clinical context, as opposed to an academic or research context, this article will analyze the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who turn to a psychology clinic in need of professional help. This study was conducted using an initial sample of 1,305 patients at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) Clínica Universitaria de Psicología. Of the sociodemographic characteristics studied, it is noteworthy that the majority of patients were women (65%) and relatively young (the average age is 29.7 years-old). The disorders for which psychological help was most often needed were anxiety and mood disorders and relationship problems, which together made up 50% of cases. In 17.70% of cases, patients had at least one comorbid disorder in addition to the one that brought them to the clinic. The generalizability and implications of the results are discussed.