Relationship of Depression, Disability and Quality of Life in Depressive Patients-A Case Control Study

Aim: To assess quality of life, disability and burden on spouse of depressed patients. Methods: The sample size taken for the study is 151 married patients of the depression and similar number of healthy controls. Case group include first two patients registered on specific days aged 18-60 of each week in the adult general psychiatric OPD, King George's Medical University (K.G.M.U.), Lucknow and for the controls a geographically urban and rural area were identified with the help of NGO (samajdarshan) Lucknow who had close liasoning with the people of the community. The diagnosis was made using DSM-IV-TR criteria. Assessment of quality of life was done by WHO Quality Of Life Scale (WHOQOL), disability with WHO disability assessment schedule (WHODAS) and burden of care with burden assessment schedule (BAS). Results: In the enrolled cases, 72 (47.68%) patients were male and 79 (52.31%) were female. Among the controls 70 (46.35%) were male and 81 (53.64%) were female. The mean age of cases and controls was 35.93±9.1 and 35.1±9.2 respectively. Depression was analyzed with Hamilton depression scale -21 in the cases and the mean HAM-D-21 score was 17.79±6.10. The domains of QOL was also significantly (P<0.0001) different between cases and controls, representing poor physical health, psychological condition, social relations and poor environmental condition of depressed patients. As per WHO Disability assessment schedule disability was assessed in both cases and controls significantly (P<0.0001) higher disability was observed in depressed patients group. The range is from 12-60. In addition to scales burden on the spouse of depressed patients was assessed and the mean of burden assessment schedule observed was 39.29±4.24. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that quality of life deterioted in patients of depression than controls. There was more disability found in case group than control and significant burden was also seen in spouses of patients of depression.