Alcoholism amongst geriatric patients attending general practice clinic of a Teaching Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria.

CONTEXT: Alcoholism or alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common among the elderly, though under-recognised and underreported. This under-reporting is especially so in Africa, including Nigeria where there is near absence of study on the subject matter. AIMS: This study aims to determine the prevalence of alcoholism amongst geriatric patients at the general practice clinic (GPC) of a teaching hospital and to assess some associated socio-demographic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was cross-sectional and descriptive, conducted at the GPC of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Four hundred and twenty-two geriatric outpatients completed the geriatric version of the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and a socio-demographic data collection sheet. Cross-tabulation of categorical variables was performed by means of IBM SPSS statistics for windows version 19.0, with the level of significance set at P <0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of AUD was 10.2%; the prevalence amongst males and females was 18.1% and 5.3%, respectively. AUD was present in 14.4%, 6.84% and 4.55% of those who had marital conflict, chronic pain and difficulty with walking, respectively. Sex, age group, financial difficulty, chronic pain and difficulty with walking were significantly associated with AUD. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AUD amongst geriatric patients is relatively high. The deleterious effects of alcoholism may be worse in the elderly due to changes that occur with aging and their likelihood to be on medications that may interact adversely with alcohol.

Body image perception and mental health of in-school adolescents in Benin City, Nigeria.

CONTEXT: Perception of one's physical appearance is important in the development of the concept of body image. Desire to achieve the unrealistic image of 'physical perfection' often make adolescents feel discontented; thus leading to mental health problems. AIMS: To assess body image perception (BIP) and its relationship with mental health of secondary school adolescents in Benin City, Nigeria. SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: The study was cross-sectional and descriptive, conducted in senior secondary schools in Benin City. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Six hundred randomly selected subjects completed the 28-item General Health Questionnaire, the appearance evaluation (AE) and body areas satisfaction (BAS) subscales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), and a sociodemographic data collection sheet. Cross tabulation of categorical variables and correlation analysis was performed by means of SPSS version 19.0, with level of significance set atP= 0.05. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty three (36.7%) and 46.2% of the respondents were dissatisfied with their appearance and discrete aspects of their bodies, respectively. The prevalence of probable psychiatric morbidity was 35.4%. AE and BAS subscales of the MBSRQ had significant but weak negative correlation with psychiatric morbidity (r = -0.195,P= 0.000; r = -0.097,P= 0.018, respectively). CONCLUSION: BIP was significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity. Subjects who were less satisfied with their general appearance and discrete aspects of their body screened positive for general psychiatric morbidity.

Psychiatric manifestations and associated risk factors among hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in Edo State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety and identify associated risk factors in hospitalised persons with confirmed COVID-19 in Edo, Nigeria. DESIGN: A multicentre cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Patients with COVID-19 hospitalised at the three government-designated treatment and isolation centres in Edo State, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted from 15 April to 11 November 2020 among 489 patients with confirmed COVID-19 and in treatment and isolation centres in Edo State, Nigeria. The mean age of participants was 43.39 (SD=16.94) years. Male participants were 252 (51.5%) and female were 237 (48.5%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, (total score: 0-27, depression ≥10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety (total score: 0-21, anxiety ≥10), and social demographic and clinical characteristics for associated risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 489 participants, 49.1% and 38.0% had depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety and combination of both were 16.2%, 12.9% and 9.0%, respectively. Moderate-severe symptoms of COVID-19, ≥14 days in isolation, worrying about the outcome of infection and stigma increased the risk of having depression and anxiety. Additionally, being separated/divorced increased the risk of having depression and having comorbidity increased the risk of having anxiety. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of our participants experienced depression, anxiety and a combination of both especially in those who had the risk factors we identified. The findings underscore the need to address modifiable risk factors for psychiatric manifestations early in the course of the disease and integrate mental health interventions and psychosocial support into COVID-19 management guidelines.

Sexual dysfunction: prevalence and associated factors in patients with mental illness receiving psychotropic medication in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to determine the prevalence of total and specific sexual dysfunction among psychiatric out-patients taking psychotropic medication, assess its relationship with some demographic and clinical variables, determine the effect of sexual dysfunction on subject's self- esteem and compliance with medication. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in the psychiatric out-patient clinic of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Benin City. The International Index of Erectile Functioning (IIEF), Rosenberg's self esteem scale and a socio-demographic and clinical data questionnaire were administered to 300 participants; 150 (50%) psychiatric male patients and 150 (50%) controls. RESULTS: The prevalence of total sexual dysfunction was 48.7%, while that of the specific SDs ranged from 20.0% to 39.3%, with erectile dysfunction having the highest proportion. Age, marital status, class, dose of psychotropic medication, poly-pharmacy and duration of treatment were significantly associated with SD. Majority of patient with SD reported poor compliance with medication. Self-esteem scores had significant inverse relationship with total SD scores. CONCLUSION: Sexual dysfunction is prevalent amongst psychiatric patients taking psychiatric medication and has negative implications for self-esteem and medication compliance. Routine enquiry about sexual symptoms by physicians and prompt treatment of SD might enhance overall treatment success.