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Abstract #22088 Published in IGR 10-4
Psychiatric evaluation of patients with glaucoma
Cumurcu BE; Cumurcu T; Celikel FC; Etikan IYeni Symposium 2007; 45: 7-13
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate glaucoma patients mentally and to determine the depression, anxiety, and alexithymia levels in this group of patients. Method: The sample was comprised of 73 outpatients with glaucoma and 40 controls with similar sociodemographic features, and who applied to the Ophthalmology Clinics with refractive errors only. Following their examination by an ophthalmologist, each patient was then evaluated by a psychiatrist using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Turkish version. All patients and controls were applied the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Findings: Depressive disorders were the most common psychiatric diagnosis (24,7%). The mean HDRS scores of the glaucoma patients were significantly higher than the controls (p < 0,05). The mean HARS and the TAS-20 total and three factor scale scores did not show a significant difference between the patient and the control groups (p > 0,05). In glaucoma patients, the mean SCL-90-R scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression were significantly higher than the controls (p < 0,05). No significant difference was found with respect to the SCL-90-R global severity index (p > 0,05). Discussion and CONCLUSION: We believe the significantly high depression levels in glaucoma patients are important to show the relationship between depression and chronic diseases. Evaluating glaucoma patients mentally will help to provide optimal treatment and care in this group of patients. LA: Turkish
Dr. B.E. Cumurcu, Gaziosmanpasa Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Psikiyatri Anabilim Dali, Tokat, Turkey. birgulelbozan19@hotmail.com