SYMPTOM PROFILE AND CO-MORBID PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

A retrospective study of 52 children and adolescent subjects suffering from mental
retardation who attended in the Child Guidance Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry
OPD, Teaching Hospital, Katmandu, Nepal. They were brought to the OPD with
various symptoms. It was found that the number of male patients were 35 compared
to 17 female with male female ratio of 2:1. The mean age of male patients was 9.19 +
3.55 years where as the mean age of female patients was 9.91 + 9.99 years. General
Practitioner and Pediatrician referred majority of them. The commonest symptom
with which the patients presented to the hospital was aggressive behavior (28%) while
14 patients (26.9%) presented with speech related problems. Of the 52 patients who
presented in Child Guidance Clinic, 11 patients had comorbid psychiatric problems.
It was found that 4 patients had hyperkinetic disorders, 3 patients had disorders of
psychological development, 1 patient each had post encephalitic sequel, depressive
disorder, somatization disorder and eating disorder.
1. Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medicine.
2. Mental Hospital, Lagankhel.
3. Clinical Psychologist, Kathmandu Medical College.
Address for correspondence : Dr. Saroj Prasad Ojha, MD (Psychiatry),
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medicine
Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Key words: Mental retardation, Psychiatric disorder, Child Guidance Clinic