Self-awareness of depression and life events in three groups of patients: Psychotic depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic medical illness in North India.
BACKGROUND
Depression is a common experience across cultures although not all languages have words describing depression.


OBJECTIVE
To identify patients' perception and awareness of depression as an illness.


METHODS
Sixty psychiatric patients (each with depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD]) were compared with 30 medical patients with chronic physical illness and assessed on levels of awareness of depression in relation to life events.


RESULTS
Life events were more in patients with OCD compared to other two groups. All the three groups of patients had major depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Absence of help-seeking for depression in patients with OCD and physical illness possibly indicate low level of awareness of depression in these patients. The findings are discussed in context of clinical practice.
Gupta
Anjali
A
Student, MA Psychology Student, University of Delhi, Delhi.
Bahadur
Indu
I
Gupta
K R
KR
Bhugra
Dinesh
D