To determine the clinical profile of patients diagnosed of delusional disorder (DD) admitted to a psychiatric ward.

Retrospective chart review of inpatients with diagnoses of delusional disorder (DD) according ICD-10 criteria admitted to a psychiatric ward (Hospital de Conxo, Santiago de Compostela) between January 1998 and December 2008. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected, with special attention to comorbidity and presumed risk factors.

The sample consisted in 56 inpatients (30 women, mean age 54 ± 11). 64.3% were single including never married (33.9%), divorced, separated and widowed and 33.9% lived alone. The most frequent type of DD was persecutory (67%) followed by mixed type (16%). 16.1% presented hallucinations (most frequent auditory). In comparison with the other types, patients with persecutory delusions usually lived alone (p < 0.05). Most frequent comorbidities were substance abuse and affective disorders. Familiar background of psychoses was recorded in 21.4% and history of emigration in 12.5%. 5.4% suffered deafness. During the period studied 53.6% were admitted two or more times. After the most recent admission 32.1% were on depot antipsychotic.

In concordance with other previous reports, DD seemed to be more prevalent in women in middle or late adulthood and persecutory were the most frequent delusions. In our sample, most patients were not married and high prevalence of family antecedents of psychoses was found. It could be related with its hospital origin; then it could be hypothesized living alone and having familiar background of psychoses to be risk factors of hospitalization.