Psychiatric morbidity in an urbanized tribal (santal) community - a field survey.

Psychiatric morbidity was studied in an urbanized tribal (Santal) community comprising 205 families in the district of Nadia, West Bengal by the method of door to door survey of each family by a team of psychiatrists. Total morbidity was 519 1000. Depression was the commonest type of illness. Neurotic illness, epilepsy and mental retaliation had a very low rate of prevalence. Married individuals were more attached than the unmarried ones. Males had a slightly higher rate of mental morbidity. The population showed a general tendency of greater vulnerability to mental illness with advancing age. Results are discussed in the perspective of relevant studies.