Anxiety and Depressive Disorders as Psychiatric Co-Morbidity in Hepatic Diseases

Objective: The study was designed to assess the co morbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in the patients suffering from various hepatic diseases and to examine the split up of patients as per age, gender, marital status, family type, residence, occupation, income and type of hepatic disease diagnosis. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Duration and place of study: The study was conduced from September 2007 to November 2007 in liver center DHQ hospital Faisalabad. Patients and Methods: 102 patients with different hepatic diseases participated in it through purposive convenient sampling technique. To diagnose the patients with anxiety and depression, the diagnostic criteria of DSM IV TR were employed while demographic variables were recorded on a demographic sheet. Results: Results showed that anxiety and depressive disorders were found 88.2 % co morbid in all hepatic patients. These psychiatric disorders were more frequently found in urban areas (57.63% anxiety & 37.3% depression) where as it was lesser in joint families (45.94% anxiety & 32.43% depression) and service personals (42.11% anxiety & 26.32% depression). The proportion of the patients diagnosed with depression was higher in females and elderly, while it was lower in educated class. Conclusion: As the Psychiatric co morbidity especially anxiety and depressive disorders in patients suffering from hepatic disorders is so frequent hence the doctors dealing with such patients should be better trained in assessment and management of these disorders. Key Words: Hepatics, Anxiety, Depression, Psychiatric co morbidity