Published: Geospatial investigations in Colombia reveal variations in the distribution of mood and psychotic disorders
Communications Medicine published "Geospatial investigations in Colombia reveal variations in the distribution of mood and psychotic disorders." This paper elucidates our utilization of electronic health records from Caldas, Colombia, to delineate the geographic variation in major mental disorders. Our findings reveal a distance decay relationship between travel time and the incidence of mild (outpatient) mental illness presentations, though this pattern was not observed for severe (inpatient) cases. Moreover, we identified several hotspots for severe mental illness within the region; each hotspot presents an opportunity for in-depth research to uncover genetic or environmental risk factors associated with severe mental illness.