F.S. Marra, P. Pancheri - Vol. 5, Dicembre 1999, num.4
Testo Immagini Bibliografia Summary Riassunto Indice
Frequenza di contatti ambulatoriali
nella schizofrenia e nella depressione in rapporto al genere
Frequency of outpatient contact in schizophrenia and depression as related
to gender
Objective: the aim of this study was to assess whether there are gender-related discrepancies in a large outpatient schizophrenic spectrum population between help seeking and actual sex distribution in incidence and prevalence of this group of disorders. At this aim we compared rates of patients visiting the facility at first episode alone vs. accompanied, subdividing them according to gender.
Methods: we included a total sample of 7,514 consecutive patients who referred to the out-patient facility of the 3rd Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" from January 1989 to January 1999. Diagnoses were made according to the DSM-III, -III-R and -IV criteria. From this sample, we selected 3,039 subjects with an axis I schizophrenic spectrum or depressive spectrum diagnosis. We included in our assessment sex, age at first contact with our facility and age at clinical symptom onset.
Results: patients with a schizophrenic spectrum diagnosis were 912 (723 male, 79.3%; 189 female, 20.7%; p <.01) and those with a depressive spectrum disorder were 2127 (813 male, 38.2%; 1314 female, 61.8%; p <.03). Mean age at onset was 20.48 years for males and 26.65 years for females with schizophrenic spectrum disorders and 39.54 years for males and 37.35 years for females with depressive spectrum disorders.
Conclusions: the clinical impression that a greater number of first outpatient psychiatric contacts with a public service among males with respect to females is confirmed from data obtained from a large register of a University psychiatric outpatient facility.