Burden of depression and anxiety among leprosy affected and associated factors-A cross sectional study from India.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) known to cause stigma and discrimination in low-and middle-income countries. It often results in visible impairments, thus pre-disposing to poor mental health. Aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among people affected by Leprosy and to determine the associated factors. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A multi-centric, cross-sectional study was carried out in four leprosy endemic states of India-Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in randomly selected blocks (a sub-unit of district), from one district in each state. From selected blocks those registered for leprosy treatment at public health or referral centres, people above the age of 18 years were interviewed with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires for Depression and Anxiety, respectively. Disease profile like leprosy classification, deformity grade, number and site of the patches and socio-economic status were collected along with individual data. Of the total 220 respondents, prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms was, 33% (73) and 19% (42), respectively. Presence of disability (47%) and Female gender (46%) were significantly associated with depression. Presence of disability (32%), Lower income group (27%) and low education (22%) were significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety. As the severity of disability increased, risk of developing depression and anxiety increased. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that more than 30% of people affected by leprosy have mental health problems, which emphasizes the importance of mental health care services in leprosy. Women, those who had lower level of education, those belonging to lower socio-economic status and those with any level of disability due to leprosy are at risk of developing depression and/or anxiety. The study concludes more attention to be paid to the categories identified to be at risk.

A cross-sectional study to evaluate depression and quality of life among patients with lymphoedema due to podoconiosis, lymphatic filariasis and leprosy.

BACKGROUND: Podoconiosis, lymphatic filariasis (LF) and leprosy are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that cause lymphoedema. When left untreated, they lead to substantial disability. This study determined the quality of life (QOL) and depression associated with lymphoedema in patients with podoconiosis, LF and leprosy. The study was conducted in northwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: This baseline cross-sectional study, nested within an interventional, non-comparative, longitudinal study, included patients with lymphoedema. Depression and QOL were assessed using versions of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI), respectively, that had been translated into Amharic and validated. Factors associated with depression and QOL were assessed using multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 251 patients with lymphoedema included in the study, 119 (47.4%) had moderate to severe depression and overall QOL was poor (mean±standard deviation [SD] DLQI score: 11.4±4.2). Disability was significantly associated with depression (ß=0.26 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.19 to 0.33]). Currently receiving treatment (ß=-3.05 [95% CI -5.25 to -0.85), disability (ß=-0.08 [95% CI -0.15 to -0.01]) and social support (moderate support: ß=-2.27 [95% CI -3.66 to -0.89] and strong support: ß=-2.87 [95% CI -5.35 to -0.38]) were significantly associated with better QOL. CONCLUSION: High levels of depression and low QOL were found among patients with lymphoedema due the three NTDs in Ethiopia.

Type D personality is associated with poor quality of life, social performance, and psychological impairment in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: A cross-sectional study of 130 patients.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a systemic autoinflammatory disease that is related to an increased risk of organic and psychological comorbidities. Type D personality has been related to poor quality of life and worse physical and psychological outcomes in different diseases. AIMS: The aim of this study is to explore whether type D personality is associated with an increased risk of presenting physical and/or psychological comorbidities, their relationship with the capacity of social adaptation, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with psoriasis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. In all, 130 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were included in this study. Participants completed the DS14 test and different validated questionnaires regarding quality of life and psychological morbidities. RESULTS: Type D personality was present in 38.4% (50/130) of the participants of the study. Patients with psoriasis and type D personality presented a higher risk of depression and anxiety. We observed that type D personality was associated with a lower educational level. These patients also presented a worse HRQOL in different dimensions of the Short Form Health Survey-36 questionnaire, more sleep problems, poor social adaptation, and a higher frequency of sexual disturbances. LIMITATIONS: Due to the cross-sectional design of the study, we could not confirm causality. Selection of sample was not random. Diagnoses of physical comorbidity were collected through clinical interview of patients under active treatment, which may imply a classification bias. CONCLUSION: Type D personality could represent a frequent personality profile in patients with psoriasis that could identify subjects with poor coping abilities to the disease with poorer levels of quality of life, increased psychological comorbidities, and inadequate social adaptation mechanisms.

Therapeutic workshops and psychosocial rehabilitation for institutionalised leprosy patients.

Leprosy is still a major public health problem and psychosocial rehabilitation services for patients suffering from the disease remain insufficient. This study aimed to assess the impact of therapeutic workshops on quality of life and symptoms of depression among institutionalised leprosy patients. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and generic World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used before and after the implementation of a series of therapeutic workshops over a period of six months. Sixty-two patients participated in the study. Almost all of the sample were elderly and had a low level of education. There was a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression scores after the intervention (p < 0,001) and a positive impact was shown for the psychological (p = 0,001), physical (p = 0,03) and environment (p < 0,001) domains, but not for the social relationships (p = 0,124) domain. Therapeutic workshops appear to a useful tool for psychosocial rehabilitation work with leprosy patients.

Oficinas terapêuticas para a reabilitação psíquica de pacientes institucionalizados em decorrência da hanseníase / Therapeutic workshops and psychosocial rehabilitation for institutionalised leprosy patients

A hanseníase ainda constitui um importante problema de saúde pública e as ações de promoção da reabilitação psíquica dos pacientes ainda são insuficientes. Este estudo se propôs a avaliar o impacto de oficinas terapêuticas sobre a qualidade de vida e sintomas depressivos em pacientes institucionalizados em decorrência da hanseníase. Aplicou-se o Inventário de Depressão de Beck e o instrumento genérico de avaliação da qualidade de vida WHOQOL-bref, antes e após o desenvolvimento de oficinas terapêuticas ao longo de seis meses. Participaram do estudo 62 pacientes, quase todos idosos, com baixa escolaridade. Observou-se uma redução significativa dos escores de sintomas depressivos após a intervenção proposta (p < 0,001) e impacto positivo para os domínios psicológico (p = 0,001), físico (p = 0,03) e de meio-ambiente (p < 0,001), mas não para as relações sociais (p = 0,124). Oficinas terapêuticas parecem ter o potencial de auxiliar na reabilitação psíquica de pacientes institucionalizados em decorrência da hanseníase.

Leprosy is still a major public health problem and psychosocial rehabilitation services for patients suffering from the disease remain insufficient. This study aimed to assess the impact of therapeutic workshops on quality of life and symptoms of depression among institutionalised leprosy patients. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and generic World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used before and after the implementation of a series of therapeutic workshops over a period of six months. Sixty-two patients participated in the study. Almost all of the sample were elderly and had a low level of education. There was a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression scores after the intervention (p < 0,001) and a positive impact was shown for the psychological (p = 0,001), physical (p = 0,03) and environment (p < 0,001) domains, but not for the social relationships (p = 0,124) domain. Therapeutic workshops appear to a useful tool for psychosocial rehabilitation work with leprosy patients.

Associação entre sintomas depressivos, trabalho e grau de incapacidade na hanseníase / Relationship between depression, work, and grade of impairment in leprosy

A depressão é o transtorno psiquiátrico mais comum na hanseníase e com alto índice de sintomas depressivos. Objetivo: Verificar a frequência dos sintomas depressivos e sua relação com o grau de incapacidade (GI) da OMS e variáveis sociodemográficas. Método: Aplicou-se um questionário, contendo aspectos sociodemográficos, clínicos e o GI. Foi aplicada a escala original do BDI para identificar a frequência dos sintomas depressivos (21 itens) e a subescala cognitiva chamada BDI-Short Form - BDI-SF (1-13 itens), recomendada para avaliar sintomas depressivos em indivíduos com diagnóstico de alguma patologia. Foi utilizada análise estatística descritiva, com distribuição de frequência para a caracterização da casuística e para o cruzamento das variáveis, foi utilizado oTeste Chi-square-corrected (Yates), considerando resultados significantes valor - p < 0,05. Resultados: Foram avaliados 130 pacientes que tem ou tiveram hanseníase. A idade média dos pacientes foi de 49,64 (SD 14,04).Houve predomínio do sexo masculino (64,6%), dos que vivem com familiares (87,7%), com ensino fundamental incompleto (66,2%), união civil estável (61,6%), não trabalham (75,4%) e recebem aposentadoria ou auxíliosaúde (63,9%). Em relação aos aspectos clínicos, 94,5% são multibacilares, 74,6% concluíram a poliquimioterapia e a maioria apresenta perda da sensibilidade protetora e/ou deformidades (31,5% grau 1 e 37% grau 2). Dentre os casos avaliados 43,1% apresentou sintomas depressivos de intensidade moderada a grave. Não houve correlação significativa entre BDI-SF e GI (valor - p = 0,950), mas, ?não trabalhar? associou-se com sintomas depressivos (BDI-SF) (valor - p = < 0,05). Preocupação somática foi o sintoma mais frequente (80,7%), seguido de dificuldade no trabalho (78,5%), irritabilidade (68,5%), fadiga (67,7%), auto-acusação (62,3%) e choro fácil (60%). Conclusão: Conclui-se que sintomas depressivos moderados e graves acometeram 43,1% dos casos avaliados,independentemente de ter ou não deficiências físicas (GI 1 e 2). As pessoas que não trabalhavam foram mais acometidas por sintomas depressivos em comparação aos que exerciam alguma atividade profissional.

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in leprosy and with high depressive symptoms. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and frequency of depressive symptoms andtheir relationship to WHO impairment grading (IG), and sociodemographic variables. Method: We applied a survey containing sociodemographic, clinical aspects and IG. The original scale of the BDI was applied to identifythe frequency of depressive symptoms (21 items), as well as the cognitive subscale BDI-Short Form-BDI-SF (items 1-13), recommended to assess depressive symptoms in individuals with defined pathologies. Descriptivestatistical analysis was used, with the frequency distribution to characterize the sample, and to the intersection of the variables, the Chi-square Test-corrected (Yates) was applied, considering significant results p - value < 0.05. Results: 130 patients who have or have had leprosy were evaluated. The mean age of patients was 49.64 (SD = 14.04). There was a predominance of males (64.6%), those living with family (87.7%), with incomplete primary education (66.2%), stable civil union (61.6%), which did not work (75.4%) and receive retirement or health aid (63.9%). Regarding clinical aspects, 94.5% were multibacillary, 74.6% had multidrug therapy and most have loss of protective sensation and/or deformities (31.5% IG1; 37% IG2). Among the cases evaluated, 43.1% had depressive symptoms of moderate to severe intensity. There was no significant correlation between BDI-SF and IG (p - value = 0.950). However, the individuals without an occupation or job (?which did not work?) were associated with depressive symptoms (BDI-FS; p - value < 0.05). Somatic apprehension was the most frequent symptom (80.7%), followed by difficulty with work (78.5%), irritability (68.5%), fatigue (67.7%), self-blame (62.3%)and tearfulness (60%). Conclusion: It is concluded that moderate and severe depressive symptoms assaulted 43.1% of the cases evaluated, regardless of whether or not physical disabilities (IG1 and 2). Individuals who did not work were the most affected by depressive symptoms compared to those who had some sort of occupation.

Depression in adult dermatology outpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of depression in adult male dermatology outpatients. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Combined Military Hospital, Bahawalpur, from January to March 2007. METHODOLOGY: A consecutive sample was screened for depression by using Urdu version of General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). The final diagnosis of depression was based on criteria of International Classification of Diseases-10. RESULTS: Out of the 114 adult males with dermatological disorders, 39 (34.11%) had depression. The frequency and percentage of depression in dermatological conditions was 6 (100%) in psychocutaneous disorders, 2 (66.6%) in urticaria, 3 (66.6%) in pruritis, 7 (57.5%) in acne vulgaris, 4 (50%) in psoriasis, 4 (44.4%) in vitiligo, 3 (37.5%) in melasma, 1 (33.3%) each in hyperhidrosis and alopecia areata, and 9 (20.4%) in eczema. It was not recorded in leprosy and chronic fungal infections. CONCLUSION: Depression was frequently in adult males with dermatological disorders especially psychocutaneous disorders, urticaria, pruritis, acne vulgaris and psoriasis. Depressive symptoms should be specifically explored even at busy dermatology outdoors for early recognition and timely appropriate psychiatric referral.

[Elderly depression in a Japanese leprosarium].

This report described the distribution of the patients who had been treated by psychiatrist in the National Tamazenshouen Sanatorium, a major leprosarium in Japan. We also investigated the characteristics of patients who had suffered a depressive episode during the last 5 years. Somatic symptoms were the predominant symptoms and were not limited to clinical signs unique to leprosy. The period of isolation was not significantly correlated with the geriatric depression scale. Forty-two residents had committed suicide since the leprosarium was established in 1909. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of psychosocial intervention to the residents.