ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOMATIC SYMPTOMS BETWEEN TWO POPULATION GROUPS

Abstract

Objective: To compare the type and frequency of somatic symptoms of anxiety and depression between female population of
Punjab and that of Sind. Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study: From 1 March, 2003 to 30 June, 2003 st th
at the Department of Psychiatry, Combined Military Hospital Pano Aqil Cantt. Subjects & Methods: All female patients reporting
in psychiatry outdoor, fulfilling ICD-10 diagnostic criteria of anxiety and/or depression were included in the study. Patients having
co-morbidity were excluded. Similarly, patients unable to communicate in Urdu were excluded. Somatic symptoms were recorded
in the standard Urdu version of Bradford Somatic Inventory. Finally, two groups of patients were obtained, 50 patients belonging
to Punjab, living with their husbands/sons at Pano Aqil Cantt, and 50 belonging to native Sindhi population. Both the groups
contained first consecutive cases. Somatic symptoms were then compared between two groups and results obtained. Patients
belonging to Punjab were designated group-I and those from Sind as group-II. Result: Somatic symptoms which were significantly
frequent but almost equal in both the groups included generalized headache-group-I 70% and group-II 66%, pain neck and upper
trunk muscles-group-I 85% and group-II 80%, backache- group-I 52% and group-II 45 and generalized weakness-group-I 48%
and group-II 45% , palpitation-group-I 45% and group-II 36%, and easy fatigability -group-I 32% and group-II 35%. Somatic
symptoms with significant difference between two groups included frontal headache-group-I 50% and group-II 30%, unilateral
headache-group-I 30% and group-II 10% bi-temporal headache-group-I 52% and group-II 30% central chest pain-group-I 25%
and group-II 52%, pain both breasts-group-I 2% and group-II 36% dyspepsia-group-I 60% and group-II 85%, and generalized
bodyaches and pains-group-I 60% and group-II 30%. Conclusion: Somatization of underlying anxiety and depression is very
frequent in both the population groups. There are a few differences which probably can be explained on the basis of socio-cultural
setting of the two areas of Pakistan.