Epidemiological correlates of Common Mental Disorders in a rural community of South India: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) encompass a range of anxiety/depressive disorders. They cause considerable morbidity at individual level and pose a significant burden to the community in terms of the suffering and cost. Objectives: This study was done to determine the prevalence, determinants, patterns and severity of CMDs in a rural community of Udupi district. Methods: A cross sectional two- stage study was done in rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine with the help of the Rural Psychiatry team from Department of Psychiatry. Screening for psychological distress in the first stage was done using SRQ-20. In second stage screen positive patients were assessed in Nitte CHC by trained psychiatrists using M.I.N.I schedule. Assessment of severity was done using Hamilton A scale (HAM A), Hamilton D scale (HAM D), Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and the Scale for Assessment of Somatic Symptoms (SASS). Results: Prevalence of CMDs was 26.5 per thousand population. Dysthymia was the most common diagnosis. Gender, marital status and educational status were the significant determinants of CMDs. Those who were married but staying separate/ divorced, illiterates and those educated up to primary school were the only groups with higher adjusted odds on multivariate analysis. The common presenting symptoms were sad mood/ crying episodes and somatic complaints. Conclusion: Prevalence of CMDs was low at 26.5 per thousand. Sad mood/ crying episodes as well as somatic complaints are the common presentations which have to be borne in mind when treating patients at the primary care level.