Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: July | Volume: 6 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 127-137
Psychiatric Morbidity in Patients with Leprosy in a Tertiary Care Centre: Case-Control Study
Dr. Abhijith Krishna1, Dr. Joylin Jovita Mascarenhas2, Dr. P .John Mathai3
1Senior Registrar, Northwest Mental Health Services, Melbourne.
2Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore.
3Professor, Dept of Psychiatry, Jubilee Mission Hospital, Thrissur
Corresponding Author: Dr. Joylin Jovita Mascarenhas
ABSTRACT
Background: Patients with leprosy have a relatively higher risk of psychiatric morbidity. Research reports indicate that they are due to the stigma & ignorance associated with the illness & social variables like emotional, social& health mal-adjustments. There are only limited number of studies investigating the frequency & nature of psychiatric morbidity in leprosy patients.
Objectives: To evaluate the frequency & nature of psychiatric disorders in patients suffering from leprosy & to study the relationship between psychiatric morbidity in patients with leprosy & the socio-demographic & clinical variables.
Methodology: One hundred & forty subjects,100 leprosy & 40controls with chronic dermatological disorders were evaluated. Tools used were ICD-10 AM symptom checklist to screen for & diagnose psychiatric disorders, Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) to assess psychopathology & Socio-economic Status Schedule(SESS) to assess socio-demographic variables.
Results: Depressive disorders were the most common psychiatric morbidity in patients with leprosy, but there were no significant differences in the frequency & nature of psychiatric disorders in patients with leprosy when compared to the control group. The psychiatric morbidity in leprosy patients does not have significant statistical relationship with socio-demographic & clinical variables studied.
Key words: Leprosy, Psychiatric morbidity, Socio-demographic & clinical variables.
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