A large number of foreign travellers and expatriates visits or lives in Tunisia.

To explore socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of European patients admitted to psychiatric care in Tunisia.

This is a retrospective, descriptive study on all European patients admitted to Razi psychiatric university hospital, which is situated at the outskirts of the capital Tunis, between 2000 and 2015.

A total of 44 Europeans was admitted. Most frequent nationalities were: French and Germans (19 and 16 patients). The stay in Tunisia was mainly due to pathologic travel (17 subjects) and tourism (13 subjects). In total, 25 patients travelled without being accompanied. Average age was 51.3 years with extremes from 16 to 78 years. A history of psychiatric disorder was found in 15 patients, of whom almost all had stopped treatment. A majority (19 patients) was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder, and 8 patients suffered from schizophrenia. Average duration of hospitalization was 19 days. A total of, 22 patients were repatriated for medical reasons. Major difficulties during hospitalization were the language barrier, difficulties to contact family members or former treating psychiatrists for further information on the patient and his medical history, and the lack of insurance covering repatriation for medical reasons.

Psycho-education and early action on the precipitating factors could help to prevent psychiatric illness or relapse in these patients. Furthermore, attention of public authorities should be drawn to incomplete insurance coverage in many psychiatric patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.