While working with the psychiatric patients, Psychiatrists often find cases that need treatments for physical as well as psychiatric illness. In this regard, One hundred and seventy seven patients admitted to the Neuro-Psychiatric Ward of Kyung-Hee Un...
While working with the psychiatric patients, Psychiatrists often find cases that need treatments for physical as well as psychiatric illness. In this regard, One hundred and seventy seven patients admitted to the Neuro-Psychiatric Ward of Kyung-Hee Univ. Hospital during the period of the year 1974, through, were studied and the following results were obtained.
1) Out of 177 neuropsychiatric patients, 105 patients were found to have accompanying physical illness. (59.32% of the patients)
2) Out of 105 patients who had accompanying physical illness, 31 were found to have occured during the hospitalizations, 59 were not aware of the physical illness at the time of admission, and 15 knew of the existence of the physical illness at the time of admission.
3) Classification of the physical illnesses reveald 20 cases (19%) of E. N. T. diseases, 17 cases (16. 2%) of skin diseasea, and 10 cases (9.5 %) each of respiratory and eye diseases respectively.
4) Eleven patients for whom treatment of physical illness was considered as more urgent than that of psychiatric illness were transfered to other departments.
5) Eight patients (7.6% of total physical illnesses) were considered to have contagious diseases.
6) Mean duration of hospitalization of the group with physical illness was 45 days, whereas the group without physical illness was 23 days.
7) Among the patients with accompaning physical illness, male outnumbered female at the rate of 72 to 33.
8) No significant difference was found in the eductional level between the two groups of patients. 9) Mean age of the patients with accmpanying physical illness was 34 years old and that of the patients without accompanying physical illness was 30 years old.
The authors hope this report to be not only a warning to illegitimate negligence of physical aspect of health in psychiatric practice, but also a preliminary data for further studies of physical illnesses associated with psychiatric illnesses; the influence of physical illness on psychiatric illness, other reciprocal interrelationship between physical and psychiatric illness or it's therapeutic implications.