[Prevalence of depressive disorders among perimenopausal women seeking gynecological services].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of depressive disorders in perimenopausal women reporting to gynecologists and to assess a possibility of screening and diagnosing depression in gynecological practice.


METHODS
The study entailed 2262 female patients of the age of 45-55 attending 120 gynecologists in Poland. Patients were first asked to fill in the Beck's Depression Inventory and next examined by their gynecologists to verify the presence of the basic symptoms of depressive episode according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Patients who obtained 12 points or more in BDI total score were referred for a psychiatric consultation, including the MINI questionnaire. The study was monitored by 'Servier Polska'.


RESULTS
32.5% of women aged 45-55 years visiting gynecologists scored 12 points or more on the BDI scale. Patients with high BDI scores reported long-lasting somatic and emotional symptoms associated with menopause more frequently than patients with low BDI scores. Women with high BDI scores also more frequently experienced gynecological surgery in the past, more frequently attended gynecological clinics, and reported more peri- and postmatal mood disorders. 57% of patients did not visit psychiatrists. Depressive disorders were diagnosed in 76% of patients who came for the psychiatric evaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests that more than 19% of perimenopausal women attending their gynecologists suffer from depressive disorders. Gynecologists in Poland can diagnose depression accurately and start pharmacological treatment of the disorder in half of the patients.
Wojnar
Marcin
M
Zespołu Psychiatrycznego Leczenia Srodowiskowego, Szpital Nowowiejski w Warszawie. marcin@psych.waw.pl
Drózdz
Wiktor
W
Araszkiewicz
Aleksander
A
Szymański
Wiesław
W
Nawacka-Pawlaczyk
Dorota
D
Urbański
Roman
R
D002979:Climacteric / Q000502:physiology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index