Epidemiological profile of psychiatric illnesses in the province of Taza, Morocco: case of a study on a schizophrenic sub-population in the Ibn Baja Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Aim The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of major psychiatric disorders and to plot some characteristics of the schizophrenic sub-population in the study area. Methods We present the results of a retrospective study on psychiatric illnesses listed at the level of the psychiatric department at the Ibn Baja Hospital in the province of Taza (Morocco), involving a sample of 3803 patients aged 18 years and over between 2006 and 2016. Results The results obtained show that the average age of our sample is 33 ± 10.5 years and that schizophrenia is the most pronounced psychiatric disorder with a prevalence of 69.9%, followed by bipolar disorder (8.4%), manic state (8.3%), major depression (5.8%), epilepsy (3.7%), dementia (2.5%), and drug addiction (1.5%). The predominance of the workforce for all psychiatric disorders was significantly in favor of males (P = 0 .000) with an M/F sex ratio of 4.9. Most patients were from urban areas 77.1%, compared with 22.9% from rural areas, with a predominance of males (P<0.001). Schizophrenia disease is the most predominant in the region with a prevalence of 1.6% and affects 83% of men versus 17% of women with a M/F sex ratio value of 5.6 in favor of men (P = 0.000). Conclusion In our region of study, as everywhere else in the world, the prevalence of psychiatric diseases on the one hand, and schizophrenia on the other hand, seems to be worrying, thus requiring more vigilance on the part of public health workers in general and mental health workers.