Jose Mathew1, Madras Sundararajan Jagadeesan2, Sambandamoorthy Rajarathinam3, Kandiah Ilamaran4, Meenakshi Sundaram Maliappan5
BACKGROUND
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disabling condition and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Considering the chronicity of the illness, it has a significant impact on the mental health of affected individuals. Studies from India involving the rheumatoid arthritis and psychiatric morbidity has been very few. The objective of this study was to analyse the psychological factors in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Details from 56 consecutive patients attending Department of Rheumatology OPD of a government tertiary care hospital in Chennai were selected. Those who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis were screened for psychological distress using GHQ-12 and were then progressively evaluated according to International Classification of Diseases - 10 criteria and then various clinical attributes were correlated.
RESULTS
Depression and anxiety were the most common psychiatric comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis. There was a significant association between rheumatoid arthritis severity and psychological distress. There was an association with duration of rheumatoid arthritis and manifestation of psychological distress.
