Anxiety And Depression :Their Epidemiological Factors----A Study on The Patients Attending Psychiatric OPD of a Teaching Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal

Abstract

Background: A sound mind in a sound body has been recognized as a social idea for many centuries. Out of different types of mental health problems depression and anxiety disorders are most common. Aims and objectives: To assess the socio-demographic and clinical profile of depression and anxiety disorder patients attending psychiatry OPD of Calcutta National Medical College. Methodology: An observational, descriptive study was carried out on the patients attending psychiatry OPD of Calcutta National Medical College from May 2012 to July 2012, suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. Data were collected by interviewing all the patients using a predesigned, pretested schedule after getting informed consent from them, excluding those who were unwilling. Result: The mean age with standard deviation of depression and anxiety patients were 38.3±13.2years and 34.7±18.2years respectively. Majority of the study subjects were either illiterate or just literate, belonging to socioeconomic class IV, V or VI, engaged in occupation like unskilled worker, businessman or housewife. Among depression patients females were more than male where as in anxiety disorders males were more than female. In majority of the patients, onset was insidious and duration of illness was less than 5 years, with one third of patients having positive family history. Somatic symptoms were present in a large number of patients.