Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 28;12(13):1298.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12131298.

Factors Associated with Mental Illness in a Primary Healthcare Setting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Case-Control Study

Abdulaziz S Alangari  1   2 , Faris Fatani  3 , Nouf Binhowaimel  3 , Hanan M Al Kadri  1   2   4 , Awad Alshahrani  2   5   6 , Badr F Al Khateeb  1   2   7 , Aljohrah I Aldubikhi  8 , Mona I Bin Amer  3 , Afrah Alsaif  9 , Ashraf El-Metwally  1   2
Affiliations

Factors Associated with Mental Illness in a Primary Healthcare Setting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Case-Control Study

Abdulaziz S Alangari et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Mental health conditions are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a 13% rise within the last decade. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with mental illness in patients presenting to a primary healthcare center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Methods: Data were extracted from the electronic health records of 46 primary care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from March 2022 to March 2023. A total of 2418 age-matched mental health cases and controls were evaluated. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the distribution and association of relevant risk factors. A total of 1209 cases were age-matched to 1209 controls presenting to a primary clinic.

Results: The odds of mental illness in females were 2.2 times that of males. Clinical conditions associated with mental illness were stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Neurodegenerative disorders were also associated with mental illness.

Conclusions: Primary clinics in the KSA can serve as focal points in removing the barriers to mental healthcare. There is an urgent need to spread awareness, remove the stigma, and provide appropriate care and referrals for mental health conditions in the KSA.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; diabetes; mental illness; obesity; primary care; stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mental health disease distribution by age category.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Health Organization . World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2022.
    1. Arias D., Saxena S., Verguet S. Quantifying the global burden of mental disorders and their economic value. eClinicalMedicine. 2022;54:101675. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101675. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Collaborators G.M.D. Global, regional, and national burden of 12 mental disorders in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Psychiatry. 2022;9:137–150. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Altwaijri Y.A., Al-Subaie A.S., Al-Habeeb A., Bilal L., Al-Desouki M., Aradati M., King A.J., Sampson N.A., Kessler R.C. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey. Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 2020;29:e1836. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1836. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Altwaijri Y.A., Al-Habeeb A., Al-Subaie A.S., Bilal L., Al-Desouki M., Shahab M.K., Hyder S., Sampson N.A., King A.J., Kessler R.C. Twelve-month prevalence and severity of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey. Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 2020;29:e1831. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1831. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources