Authors : Uday Sankar Mandal, Arijit Mondal, Chiranjib Ray
DOI : 10.18231/j.tjp.2019.027
Volume : 5
Issue : 2
Year : 2019
Page No : 124-132
Introduction: Symptomatology of any illness is not only the expression of a pathological process in an individual, but depends upon many factors, such as environment, socio- demographic and cultural back ground and the same thing is also applicable for depression. There are plenty of studies worldwide to support the fact that depressive patients predominantly present with somatic symptoms. Many authors pointed out the influence of culture behind this fact. But the very few highlighted an important explanatory feature of this process with substantial practical and clinical significance – that is, the role of stigma.
Aims and Objectives: To identify interrelation between chief presenting complains of depressive disorder with level of stigma associated, with reference to patient’s socio economic and demographic back ground.
Materials and Methods: Sixty adult patients attending psychiatry OPD for first time with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has been selected. Semi structured proforma for socio-demographic and clinical variables, Hamilton depression rating scale, distress questionnaire and stigma scale from the selected portion of Eplanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) were used.
Results: Near about half of the patients reported pains or other somatic symptoms most frequently as the most troubling symptom whereas fewer than 20% patients reported sadness as most troubling. Somatic complaints were experienced as less stigmatizing compared to sadness; the difference in mean stigma scores were statistically significant. Stigma scores were positively correlated with depression severity. Family history of psychiatric illness was experienced as more stigmatizing along with unmarried status.
Conclusion: Majority of patients with major depression reported somatic complaints as most troubling which may hinder early recognition. As stigma is positively related with depression severity it may acts as barrier to help seeking. Socio-demographic variables are unrelated with presentation of depression.
Keywords: Presentation of depression, Stigma, Sociodemograhic Variables, Somatization.