Examining the Reports on Mental Diseases Given by the Disabled Health Board: The Case of Kırşehir Province

Abstract

Mental illnesses are diseases that can cause mental disability by limiting the productivity and autonomy of individuals. Disability rates caused by mental illnesses are determined by the disability health boards, and the records archived in these boards are of a quality that will form the basis for local and national strategies for mental disability. With this retrospective descriptive study, it was aimed to examine the mental disability reports prepared by the health board in a state hospital in Kırşehir. In the study, 775 cases with mental disabilities, which were arranged by the health board between 01.01.2021 and 31.03.2022, were evaluated. It was observed that the mental illnesses for which disability reports were given were mostly "Mental Retardation", then "Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders", followed by "Dementia", "Mood Disorders", "Anxiety Disorders", "Autism Spectrum Disorder" and others, respectively. It was determined that the median age of individuals with mental disabilities was 47 (18-102), 50.3% of the reports were given to men and 49.7% to women. It was determined that men received disability reports mostly due to Schizophrenia (10.5%) and women mostly due to Dementia (13.3%), and the median psychiatric disability score was 50 (15-94). In the light of these findings, it can be said that the mental disability reports given by the health board are given at an age when individuals should be productive and often with a severe disability score.