Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T17:57:52.306Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hospital doctors' management of psychological problems at a Nigerian tertiary health institution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Baba A. Issa ,
Abdullahi D. Yussuf ,
Olatunji A. Abiodun  and
Ganiyu T. Olanrewaju
Baba A. Issa
Affiliation:
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria, email issababa2002@yahoo.com
Abdullahi D. Yussuf
Affiliation:
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
Olatunji A. Abiodun
Affiliation:
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
Ganiyu T. Olanrewaju
Affiliation:
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A questionnaire was sent to all consenting doctors at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. It asked about their management of psychological problems in their clinical practice. Over 90% would welcome more time to talk to patients and agreed that psychological and social factors should be routinely assessed and recorded for patients. Most respondents would refer patients with depression or disturbed behaviours. ‘Ineffective treatment’ and ‘dislike of psychiatric referral’ were not the main reasons for non-referral. A majority of the doctors had initiated treatment for anxiety and insomnia but not for alcohol withdrawal, psychosis, acute confusional state or depression. Doctors' awareness of ‘the impact of psychological factors on the course of physical illness' was high. To sustain this high level of awareness and encourage referral, in-house psychoeducational training of hospital doctors should be intensified. In addition, an increased doctor/patient ratio, public education to reduce stigma and a well developed liaison psychiatric service are imperative.

Type
Research papers
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 12 , Issue S1: Research Supplement , May 2015 , pp. S-11 - S-15
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015

References

Alexander, C. & Fraser, J. (2008) General practitioners' management of patients with mental health conditions: the views of general practitioners working in rural north-western New South Wales. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 16, 363–369 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartels, S. J., Blow, F. C., Brockmann, L. M., et al (2005) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Care Among Older Americans: The State of Knowledge and Future Directions. WESTA.Google Scholar
Deventer, C. V., Couper, I., Wright, A., et al (2008) Evaluation of primary mental health care in North West province a qualitative view. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 14, 136–140.Google Scholar
Dixon, L., Green-Paden, L., Delahanty, J., et al (2001) Variables associated with disparities in treatment of patients with schizophrenia and comorbid mood and anxiety disorder. Psychiatric Services, 52, 1216–1222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faizen, S., Raveesh, B. N., Sujatha, R. L., et al (2012) Attitude of non-psychiatry doctors to psychiatry and its correlates to in Mysore, South India. BMC Proceedings, 6 (suppl. 4), 14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Issa, B. A., Yussuf, A. D., Abiodun, O. A., et al (2012) Hazardous alcohol use among doctors in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. West African Journal of Medicine, 3, 97–101.Google Scholar
Mayou, R. & Smith, E. B. O. (1986) Hospital doctors' management of psychological problems. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 194–197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mehta, N. (2011) Mind–body dualism: a critique from a health perspective. Mens Sana Monographs, 9, 202–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, F. & Killoughery, M. (2003) Hospital doctors' management of psychological problems – Mayou & Smith revisited. British Journal of Psychiatry, 182, 153–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, M. P., Pearson, V., Li, F., et al (2000) Stigma and expressed emotion: a study of people with schizophrenia and their family members in China. British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 488–493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saunders, J. C. (2003) Families living with severe mental illness: a literature review. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 24, 175–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
United Nations Development Programme (2006) Doctor to patient ratio in Africa. Available at http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/58.html (accessed 17 May 2013).Google Scholar
Westbrook, A. H. (2011) Mental health legislation and involuntary commitment in Nigeria: a call for reform. Washington University Global Studies and Law Review, 39. Available at http://http://digitalcommons.law.wustl.edu/globalstudies/vol10/iss2/7 (accessed 23 August 2011).Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2012) Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease. Available at http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GlobalHealthRisks_report_full.pdf (accessed 11 October 2012).Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.