Abstract
A total of 728 patients admitted to the medical, gynaecological and surgical departments of one urban and one rural general hospital in Austria were investigated for psychiatric morbidity. Using the Clinical Interview Schedule and its case criteria, the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was found to be highest in medical departments (38.2%), followed by surgical departments (32.5%), and lowest in gynaecological departments (20.7%). Among medical and surgical patients, dementia and substance abuse disorders were the most frequent psychiatric categories, while in gynaecological departments neurotic disorders showed the highest frequency. For the sample as a whole, single status (i.e. unmarried, widowed or divorced), lower social class and rural catchment area of the general hospital predicted a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in a logistic regression analysis, while complications of childbirth, pregnancy or the puerperium, and diseases of the skin or the musculoskeletal system showed a negative association with psychiatric illness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abiodun OA, Ogunremi OO (1990) Psychiatric morbidity in medical and surgical wards of a Nigerian general hospital. J Psychosom Res 34: 409–414
Ammon Cavanaugh St von (1983) The prevalence of emotional and cognitive dysfunction in a general medical population: using the MMSE, GHQ, and BDI. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 5: 15–24
Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung (1991) Statistik-Großzählung am 15. Mai 1991. Herold, Vienna
Beck AZ, Ward CH, Mendelson M (1961) An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 4: 561–571
Bickel H, Cooper B, Wancata J (1993) Psychische Erkrankungen von älteren Allgemeinkrankenhauspatienten: Häufigkeit und Langzeitprognose. Nervenarzt 64: 53–61
Clarke DM, Minas IH, Stuart GW (1991) The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in general hospital inpatients. Aust NZ J Psychiatry 25: 322–329
Cooper B, Schwarz R (1982) Psychiatric case identification in an elderly population. Soc Psychiatry 17: 43–52
Cooper B, Sosna U (1983) Psychische Erkrankungen in der Abtenbevolkerung: Eine epidemiologische Feldstudie in Mannheim. Nervenarzt 54: 239–249
Erkinjunti T, Wikström J, Palo J, Autio L (1986) Dementia among medical inpatients. Evaluation of 2000 consecutive admissions. Arch Intern Med 146: 1923–1926
Feldman E, Mayou R, Hawton K, Ardern M, Smith EBO (1987) Psychiatric disorder in medical in-patients. Q J Med 241: 405–412
Fichter MM (1990) Verlauf psychischer Erkrankungen in der Bevölkerung. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Fricchione GL, Vlay SC (1986) Psychiatric aspects of patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Am J Psychiatry 143: 1518–1526
Goldberg DP (1972) The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire. Oxford University Press, New York
Goldberg DP, Cooper B, Eastwood MR, Kedward HB, Shepherd M (1970) A standardized psychiatric interview for use in community surveys. Br J Prev Soc Med 24: 18–23
Johnston M, Wakeling A, Graham N, Stokes F (1987) Cognitive impairment, emotional disorder and length of stay of patients in a district general hospital. Br J Med Psuchol 60: 133–139
Kleining G, Moore H (1968) Soziale Selbsteinstufung-ein Instrument zur Messung sozialer Schichten. Köln Z Soziol Sozialpsychol 20: 502
Magistrat der Stadt Wien (1992) Statisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Wien 1991. Herold Vienna
Maguire PA, Taylor IC, Stout RW (1986) Elderly patients in acute medical wards: factors predicting length of stay in hospital. Br Med J 292: 1251–1253
Mayou R, Hawton K (1986) Psychiatric disorder in the general hospital. Br J Psychiatry 149: 172–190
Mayou R, Hawton K, Feldman E (1988) What happens to medical patients with psychiatric disorders? J Psychosom Res 32: 541–549
Meise U, Kurz M, Schett P, Schubert H, Hinterhuber H (1991) Die psychiatrische Veisorgung in Tirol. In: Meise U, Hafner F, Hinterhuber H (eds) Die Versorgung psychisch Kranker in Österreich. Springer, Vienna New York, pp 98–118
Millar HR (1981) Psychiatric morbidity in elderly surgical patients. Br J Psychiatry 139: 17–20
Modestin J (1977) Psychiatrische Morbidität bei intern-medizinisch hospitalisierten Patienten. Schweiz Med Wochenschr 107; 1354–1361
Moffic HS, Paykel ES (1975) Depression in medical in-patients. Br J Psychiatry 126: 346–353
Stuhr U, Haag A (1989) Eine Prävalenzstudie zum Bedarf an psychosomatischer Versorgung in den Allgemeinen Krankenhäusern Hamburgs. Psychother Med Psychol 39: 273–281
Wing JK, Cooper J, Sartorius N (1974) The measurement and classification of psychiatric symptoms. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
World Health Organization (1978) Mental disorders: glossary and guide to their classification in accordance with the ninth reyision of the International Classification of Diseases. WHO, Geneva
Zintl-Wiegand A, Cooper B, Krumm B (1980) Psychisch Kranke in der ärztlichen Allgemeinpraxis: eine Untersuchung in der Stadt Mannheim. Beltz, Weinheim.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wancata, J., Benda, N., Hajji, M. et al. Psychiatric disorders in gynaecological, surgical and medical departments of general hospitals in an urban and a rural area of Austria. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 31, 220–226 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00785771
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00785771