Commonly diagnosed mental disorders in a general hospital system

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• General hospitals are vital for addressing both physical and mental health needs.
• Limited data exists on common mental disorders in general hospital patients, particularly in Puerto Rico.
• This study addresses the gap by characterizing mental disorders in a southern Puerto Rico hospital system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize the five most common current DSM-5 mental disorder diagnoses.
• To analyze diagnoses in patients receiving non-psychiatric medical and surgical care.
• To provide insights into mental health needs within general hospital settings in Puerto Rico.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 5494 medical patients' data from integrated psychology consultation-liaison services.
• Standardized psychological evaluations conducted at patients' bedside.
• Multinomial logistic regression used to assess factors associated with mental disorder diagnoses.

Main Results:

• 53% of hospitalized patients received a mental disorder diagnosis.
• Most common diagnoses included major depressive, neurocognitive, anxiety, substance-related, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
• Males showed higher odds of depression diagnosis compared to females; various demographic and clinical factors were associated with diagnoses.

Conclusions:

• Integrated clinical health psychology services effectively identify and treat co-occurring mental disorders in hospitalized patients.
• Further research is needed on integrating these services into hospital infrastructure for timely diagnosis and treatment.
• This approach enhances patient care by addressing the mental health needs of medical and surgical patients.