Caractéristiques de la population carcérale suivie en ambulatoire au service de psychiatrie du Centre Hospitalier National Universitaire de Fann, Sénégal

INTRODUCTION: psychiatric disorders affect the highest number of incarcerated individuals. Indeed, detention conditions in Senegal have been criticized for several years by referring, in particular, to overcrowding. These conditions probably play a determining role in the occurrence of mental disorders in this population. This work describes the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of these inmates followed on an outpatient basis in the Department of Psychiatry of the National University Hospital Center in Fann. METHOD: we conducted a retrospective and descriptive study. Data were collected from all the inmates presenting to the External Consultation Unit of the Department of Psychiatry of the National University Hospital Center of Fann between 1(st) January 2005 and 31(st) December 2010. RESULTS: our study population consisted of 62 inmates, 92% men and 8% women. The average age of patients was 32 years, nearly three-quarters (72.6%) of individuals were single. In the majority of cases they were in a precarious employment situation and 69.3% of them had not completed secondary education. Insomnia was the leading reason for consultation (29%) followed by auditory verbal hallucinations (22.6%). Physical aggression and/or threats to fellow inmates were observed in 17.7% of cases. The main diagnostic categories found were schizophrenic disorders (32.3%) and depressive disorders (27.4%). Between 2005 and 2010, the number of consultations increased threefold/year, from 7 to 19. CONCLUSION: this study showed that the incarcerated population, followed on an outpatient basis in the Department of Psychiatry, were young, mostly male and single, with low level of education and disadvantaged professional status. Similar cases have been reported in the international literature. Considering Senegal’s socio-economic situation and health systems development, we note that, although the number of consultations has increased over the years, only inmates with severe mental disorders are followed in specialized health services. Given the number of incarcerated subjects, the biography background of these subjects, the conditions of detention and the absence of some diseases, a survey should be conducted in prisons in order to assess mental healthcare needs of incarcerated subjects and the specific issues that could affect them.