Association of Expressed Emotion in Caretakers with Severity of Depression in Patients of Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Expressed emotion refers to a global index of particular emotions, attitudes and behaviours expressed by relatives (caretaker) about a family member diagnosed with psychiatric illness. Expressed emotion (EE) is the general reflection of the family�s attitude towards the patient as a precursor to relapse in major psychiatric disorders. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 patients with depression were recruited from Psychiatric OPD S. S. G. Hospital Vadodara and association between severity of depression and expressed emotion was measured. Results: Pearson Correlation Coefficient was found to be r = 0.7418 with p value less than0.0001 for this study. Hence, correlation between expressed emotion in caretakers and severity of Depression in patients with MDD is significantly positive. Conclusion: Expressed emotion in caretakers was associated with severity of Depression in Major Depressive Disorder patients.