PATTERN OF PSYCHIATRIC PRESENTATIONS IN A PRIVATE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL IN OSOGBO, OSUN STATE

Background In spite of the challenges of stigma and low level of awareness associated with mental health and mental health care service delivery in Nigeria, venturing into private practice remains one of the options of mental health professionals. Our study explored the pattern of psychiatric presentations in a private specialist hospital in Osogbo, South Western Nigeria over a period of 5 years (2010-2015). Aim: Review the pattern of presentations of clients with psychiatric illness to Royal City Specialist Hospital, Aderin, Osogbo, Osun State over a period of 5 Years. Methods The hospital records of patients who have been assessed within the hospital were reviewed. Information on their socio-demographic and health related characteristics were extracted from the case files and analyzed. Results `Over a period of 5 years, a total of 282 patients with mental health challenges have made use of the hospital with 34 (12.1%) still current users of the service. There was a slight male predominance (51.4%). The age of clients ranged from 7-100 years, with a mean of 37.65 years. A total of 16 (5.7%) of the clients were less than or equal to 19 years of age and the age bracket with the highest number of clients was 20-45 years (203; 72%). Majority of the patients (256/90.8%) presented on their own without referrals. The primary informants include the patients (165/58.5%), spouse (16/5.7%), Son/daughter (21/7.4%). The commonest presentation was poor sleep (180/63.8%) while the commonest diagnosis was Schizophrenia (61/21.6%). A total of 8 clients were discharged from the clinic while 242 (85.8%) had defaulted from follow up. Number of visits before defaulting ranged from 1- 6 visits. Conclusion Specialist Psychiatric service delivery in private hospitals remains one of the ways of meeting the mental health needs of mentally ill person. However, there is a need to properly explore the reasons for the defaults of the clients.