Depression; in dissociative [conversion] disorder patients; in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Prevalence of depression in Dissociative [Conversion] disorder Patients. The study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science / Bahawal Victoria Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, from February 2012 to May 2012. The sample consisted of 100 consecutive in patients [Female 84, Male 16] of Dissociative [Conversion] disorder. They were interviewed and results were analyzed from the entries in a Performa and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Majority of the patients were female [84%], uneducated [54%] and unmarried [60%]. Mean age of our patients was 21.84 +/- 7.29 years. Depression was found in 76% of patients. Out of 76 depressed patients had moderate depression, 24 had severe depression. Our study collaborates that depression was present in high proportion in patients with dissociative [conversion] disorder, which shows that co-morbid depression should not be over looked in these patients. It is recommended that every patient presenting with dissociative [Conversion] disorder should be assessed for co-morbid depression and should be managed accordingly