Abstract

Background:


The referral rates of psychiatric patients in Nepal are very low,
considering the higher rates of psychiatric morbidity in patients who attend
various departments of a general hospital. Studying the pattern of psychiatric
referrals may facilitate the management of the mentally ill in a comprehensive and
holistic manner.


Materials and methods:


The study was conducted at Western Regional Hospital (WRH) over the period of one year.


The patients referred from different departments were assessed by the consultant
psychiatrists.


Result:


A total of 816 patients were referred for psychiatric
consultation out of which majority was from department of medicine and the
most common reason for referral was anxiety disorder.


Conclusion:


Multidisciplinary interaction is beneficial to identify the psychiatric morbidity in
the patients who attend general hospital.

Keywords: Psychiatric referral, anxiety, mental health