DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS IN PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATIENT CLINIC ATTENDEES IN EASTERN SAUDI ARABIA

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorders are common in Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics. PATIENTS: All new patients attending the Psychiatry Clinics at King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU), in the Eastern Province were included in the study. AIM: To investigate the frequency and pattern of depressive disorders among Psychiatric Out-patients attendees in the KFHU. METHODS: A semi-structured psychiatric interview and clinical mental state examination were used in the assessment of all consecutive new patients attending the clinic during the study period. The Psychiatric diagnoses were made according to the 10(th) Edition of International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders (ICD-10). RESULTS: The frequency of depressive disorders was 19.3%. The majority of the patients were between 20-49 years of age and females predominated in the ratio of 1.7:1. Almost 70% were formally unemployed (including 66 housewives). Depressive disorder of the moderate nature was the commonest. CONCLUSION: Depressive disorders are common in Psychiatry outpatients. The socio-demographic characteristics of depressive disorder in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are similar to those abroad in many respects.