Background: There is a relative lack of information about the epidemiology of psychotic disorders in the developing world. The aim of this pragmatic study was to describe the correlates of first-episode psychosis in the central African nation of Zambia.
Method: Selected clinical and demographic variables were collected on patients with psychotic disorders presenting for the first time at the only psychiatric hospital in Zambia (Chainama Hills College Hospital, Lusaka).
Results: During the study period, 160 subjects were admitted to the hospital with the first episode of a psychotic disorder. The male to female sex ratio was 2.5:1, with the median age of first admission for both sexes being 26 years. Half of the subjects had a duration of untreated psychosis one month or less. Recent alcohol and other drug abuse was common in males (56%). Clinical evidence of HIV/AIDs was found in 9% of those admitted. Approximately one-third of the subjects had attended a traditional healer for their psychotic symptoms prior to admission.
Conclusions: Understanding the profile of treated first-episode psychosis in the developing world can help optimize the development of local services. Furthermore, characterizing differences in the epidemiology of psychosis between populations may help generate factors that could influence its cause and course.