A study of psychiatric referrals from other specialties at a tertiary care center

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to study the reasons for referral, to study diagnostic categories of psychiatric referrals, and to study the associations if any between reasons for referral and diagnostic categories of psychiatric referrals. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Mamata General Hospital, Khammam. The present study consists of 112 psychiatric referrals; 12 referrals were excluded from the study as they are not willing to give consent, so the study was conducted on 100 psychiatric referrals. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: In the present study, based on the sources of referrals, it was found that majority of the patients were from the Department of General Medicine (38%). In the present study, the most common reason stated for referral was suicidal/self-harm act by 29% of the sample. The most common psychiatric disorder diagnosed in the present study was found to be substance use disorder which is seen in 33% of the sample. On evaluation of diagnostic categories with reference to reasons for referral, it is found that most of the referrals with a history of excessive alcohol intake were diagnosed as substance use disorders (91.6%). Majority of referrals with a history of suicidal attempts were diagnosed as intentional self-harm (58.6%). Referrals with a history of altered sensorium were diagnosed with organic mental disorders (50%), substance use disorder (37.5%), and 12.5% had no psychopathology. Conclusion: Suicidal attempts are most commonly diagnosed to have intentional self-harm. Substance use disorder came to be high in referrals which are referred for excessive alcohol intake. Regarding referrals to psychiatry department, majority of the patients were from the Department of General Medicine. The most common reason stated for referral to psychiatry was suicidal/self-harm.