Descriptive Epidemiology of Mental Illness and Epilepsy at the Psychiatric Hospital of Bouaké (Ivory Coast)

Abstract

Mental illness is a public health problem worldwide. As in some African countries, epidemiological data are insufficient in Côte d'Ivoire. After more than ten years of socio- political crisis, an update of the data was necessary for a better psychiatric assistance in the region of Gbêkê strongly impacted during this period. Objective: The objective of this work was to study the mental disorders observed at the Psychiatric Hospital of Bouaké. Materials and method: This was a retrospective study with a descriptive aim, involving 550 files. Results: We noted a predominance of females (51%) residing in Bouaké with an age range between 15 and 34 years (52.9%), mostly single (56.9%). 61.3% of our sample was composed of subjects with a level of education lower than secondary school and who were not in employment (37.5%). As for psychiatric pathologies, depression was the most common (21.6%), followed by acute and transient psychotic disorders (18.4%), then schizophrenia (13.1%) and epilepsy (12.2%). These results prompted a study on the evaluation of the therapeutic management of mental patients at the psychiatric hospital in Bouaké.