Key Points
- To determine the prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders using diagnostic criteria and assess their impact on functional status among male medical and surgical inpatients.
- Enrolled a random sample of N=1007 male medical and surgical inpatients admitted across 3 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.
- Assessed psychiatric diagnoses using a computerized structured interview based on DSM-III-R criteria and measured health-related functioning with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.
- Met lifetime criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder in 46.6% of inpatients, predominantly alcohol abuse or dependence (32.5%), posttraumatic stress disorder (10.0%), and major depression or dysthymia (9.0%).
- Reported recent psychiatric symptoms in nearly one fifth of patients, most frequently major depression or dysthymia (7.0%).
- Demonstrated that co-occurring psychiatric disorders were associated with significant impairment across all functional dimensions (P<.001), with the greatest reductions seen in physical and emotional role functioning.
Structured PICO
PPopulation1007 male medical and surgical admissions to 3 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers
OOutcomePrevalence of psychiatric disorders and health-related functioning measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Surveypatient reported
Co-occurring psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent among hospitalized male medical and surgical patients and are associated with significant functional impairment.