Sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients receiving disability certificates for psychiatric disorders: An Indian Psychiatric Society Multicentric study

Abstract

Aim: To study the sociodemographic and clinical profile of subjects receiving disability certificates (DCs) issued for psychiatric disorders across multiple centres in India.

Materials and methods: Eleven centres, including ten government and one non-governmental organization spread across the country, participated in the study. Data on the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients who were issued DC in the calendar year 2019 were collected on a proforma designed for the study.

Results: Overall, 2018 patients were issued DC for various psychiatric disorders across 11 centres in 2019. The number of certificates issued across different centres varied from 34 to 622. In terms of diagnostic profile, intellectual disability accounted for most of the certificates issued. In terms of psychiatric diagnosis, schizophrenia was the most common psychiatric diagnosis, followed by bipolar disorder, for which a DC was issued. When the diagnosis was considered, centre wise, intellectual disability (6 centres), mental illness (MI; 4 centres), and autism and specific learning disability (1 centre) accounted for the most DCs issued. Schizophrenia (9 centres), bipolar affective disorder (1 centre), and dementia (1 centre) were the most common MI for which DC was issued. Across centres, more than two-thirds of DC were issued to males.

Conclusion: There is a wide variation in the number and clinical profile of DC issued across centres.

Keywords: Autism; certificate; disability; intellectual disability; mental illness; multiple disabilities; specific learning disability.