Citation

Deitos F, Noal MHO, Garcia CR, Da Costa Rodrigues T. J. Bras. Psiquiatr. 1999; 48(2): 71-74.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Instituto De Psiquiatria)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With the objective of determining the prevalence of organic problems in depressed patients, investigating which organicproblem is the most frequent and observing the beginning of the depressive episode related to the organic disease, a prospective, transversal study was performed; the sample consisted of 45 patients who went to the Affective Disorders Room of the University Hospital of Santa Maria - Psychiatric Unit during the period of one year - from January 96 to January 97. The criteria to include these patients in the study was a diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode, detected by the use of a DSM-IV. The patients were interviewed individually, through a standard and codified questionnaire and the data gathered were submitted to tests of statistic consistency, according to OMS, EPI-INFO program. Of the 45 patients who were interviewed 30 (66.7%) were female, 16(35.6%) had their ages ranging from 36 to 44 years, 44 (97.8%) were white, 22 (48.9%) were married and 12 (26.7%) had between 1 and 5 years of education. Among the most frequent depressive indications and symptoms referred were loss of energy/interest in 92%, sleep disorders in 88.9%, sadness/weep in 86.7% and thoughts of death/suicide in 80% of the patients. As for the presence of familiar history of psychiatric disorders, 21 (46.7%) of the patients mentioned at least one disorder, being alcohol abuse the most frequent. Of the total of the interviewed patients 31 (68.9%) mentioned some stressing life experience in the same period of the depressive episode, being financial difficulties (16.2%) the most common. The prevalence of organic diseases reached 48.9% being the systemic high blood pressure mentioned by 29% of the patients. Organic symptoms were referred by 68.9% of the patients, being the chronic headache the most prevalent. Of the patients have mentioned that they have had a depressive episode, 63.2% have had after the bursting of the disease and/or organic symptoms. Due to the high prevalence of the disease and/or organic symptoms in depressed patients it is justified the investigation of other diagnosis, besides the depression, which may interfere with the evolution, symptoms and prognosis of the disease.

Language: pt

Keywords

Depression; Organic diseases; Prevalence