Psychiatric morbidity in dermatological outpatients: an issue to be recognized
Keywords:
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, anxiety, depressionAbstract
Objective The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression in thepatients suffering from skin disorders.Patients and methods Two hundred consecutive patients attending out-patient Department ofDermatology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, were studied. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale,Urdu version was administered to each patient after taking informed consent, as this scalewas designed specifically for use in non-psychiatric hospital departments. A personalinformation sheet was also completed for the total sample of 200 patients.Results Among them 36.5% were males and 63.5% were females, with a majority in the agerange of 16-30 years. 20% cases of depression and 28% cases of anxiety were found in thetotal sample, using cut off point as 11 or more on HAD Scale. High scores were associatedwith conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, all tending to be extensive, chronic anddisfiguring and easily visible. The association between sex, marital status, employment statusand caseness is discussed.Conclusion There is a high rate of psychological problems in dermatological out-patientssuffering from chronic and disfiguring skin conditions.References
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