Psychiatric disorders in persons aged 60 years or older treated as inpatients ou outpatients in hospitals in Togo: epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects.

The objective of this study was to describe the social, demographic, and clinical profile of inpatients and outpatients 60 years or older treated for psychiatric disorders. This descriptive and analytic retrospective study took place at the inpatient and outpatient psychiatry departments at two university hospital centers in Lomé: Campus and Sylvanus Olympio of Lomé. It included patients aged 60 years or older seen during the 10-year period 2004-2013 who met ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disease. This series comprised 224 patients with a mean age of 67.6 ± 7.37 years (range: 60-97). Insomnia (16%), hallucinations (8.53%), and somatic complaints (7.73%) were the most frequent motives for consultation. Family or friends accompanied 80.36% of these patients to the consultation. Among the patients, 66.96% were aware of their disorder, and 60.71% showed an adherence to treatment. The main diagnoses were depressive disorders (25.89%) and various forms of dementia (23.66%) The prevention of depression disorders in this population requires real work on mourning.

Depression in Benin: an assessment using the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale and the principal component analysis.

Ninety two major depressed outpatients were rated with the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) in Cotonou, in Benin (West-Africa). Patients satisfied modified DSM III major depression criteria and were French-speaking. Men, civil servants, and city dwellers were over-represented in the population sample. The examination of item frequency yielded rather 'western-like' clinical features of depression: with differences described previously: a lower frequency of suicidal thoughts and guilt feelings, a higher frequency of somatic complaints and ideas of persecution. Principal component analysis reinforced 'western-like' aspects. The relationship between the so-called 'western culture-bound symptoms' and the so-called 'African ones' is discussed.

[Elaboration of criteria for major depression adapted to Black Africa]. / Elaboration de critères de la dépression majeure adaptés à l'Afrique Noire.

The authors state that there is no diagnostic criteria for major depression adapted to Africa. Using available data about the clinical aspect of depressive disorders in African patients, they suggest criteria derived from DSM III. With regard to the American ones, the following modifications are brought to these criteria: dysphoric mood is no longer a compulsory criterion and two new criteria are included, concerning ideas of persecution and somatic complaints.

Obsessive-compulsive disorders in Benin: five case reports.

We report 5 cases of obsessive-compulsive disorders diagnosed among a sample of Beninese psychiatric outpatients. This type of report does not support the idea that this disorder is very rare in black Africa. Moreover, it appears that the clinical and epidemiological characteristics are not really different from those described in other continents.

[Use of a rating scale in transcultural psychiatry]. / A propos de l'utilisation d'une échelle d'évaluation en psychiatrie transculturelle

The Psychopharmacological Studies Group of Fann, Dakar, considered the cultural expression of mental illness as it would help for a new definition of the nosographic frames, and inside of them, the appreciation of symptoms. This new definition would be applied "universally" if it may be considered that some symptoms are "culture-free" and others deeply marked by the discourse held by the person or by his social group. The use of valuation scales for symptomatic change during a treatment (here anti-depressive one) become harder by the undifferenciation of these two types of symptoms. Further, it may exist nosographic masks which can hide more curable substructures ; as often happens here, in masked depressions when the presented symptoms are those of acute or chronic psychotic manifestations. The efficacy of depressive treatment is then remarkable.