Abstract
Stagnation syndrome, a diagnostic entity in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been long regarded as the TCM counterpart of major depression in Western medicine. The study investigated the prevalence of major depression among stagnation syndrome patients and evaluated their well-being and functioning outcomes. In total, 117 patients diagnosed with stagnation syndrome were measured using Stagnation Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Body-Mind-Spirit Well-Being Inventory. Results indicate major depression among stagnation syndrome patients was characterized by a high co-occurrence rate and worse physical, mental, and functional outcomes. More than one-quarter (26.5%) of the patients met the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for major depression and over half (53%) exceeded the PHQ-9 cutoff (score above 10) for moderate/severe depression symptoms. The wellness of the stagnation syndrome patients was worse (M = 298.2, SD = 66.5) than that of the general population (M = 360.9, SD = 79.9), with a large Cohen's d value of 0.9. The “wellness outlook” of the depressed stagnation syndrome patients appeared grimmer (M = 252.3, SD = 52.2). The correlation between stagnation and depression was higher for affective symptoms than somatic symptoms. Physical distress did not mediate the relationship between stagnation and daily functioning. These might suggest that stagnation syndrome and major depression may share some similar psychological mechanisms.
Highlights
Stagnation syndrome, a long-established diagnostic entity in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) classified under internal medicine, is characterized by a number of somatic symptoms without identifiable organic correlates [1]
This study is the first report to investigate the overlap between major depression, a bio-medical mental disorder originating in Western medicine, and stagnation syndrome, a bodymind connected syndrome rooted in TCM
The results of our study showed that, among the stagnation syndrome patients, comorbidity with major depression was alarmingly high
Summary
Stagnation syndrome, a long-established diagnostic entity in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) classified under internal medicine, is characterized by a number of somatic symptoms without identifiable organic correlates [1]. The clinical symptoms and the critical cognitive processes or abnormalities of major depression are observed in stagnation syndrome. As described in TCM classics, the onset of stagnation syndrome is induced by the inhibition of emotions, leading to ‘qi’ [vital energy] stagnation that can elicit clinical symptoms when prolonged [9]. Stagnation symptoms demonstrated a significant positive correlation with depression symptoms (r = .59) [2]. This association is not unique to Chinese people.
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