Vol. 6, Issue 4 (2017)

Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 50rnindividuals diagnosed with chronic medical problems, such as diabetes mellitus,rnhypertension, chronic renal disease, and cardiovascular disorders. Thisrnresearch was performed in the department of Psychiatry, Madha Medical Collegernand Research Institute, located at Kovur, Mangadu, Thandalam, Chennai, TamilrnNadu, India, from February 2016 to January 2017. Participants were enlistedrnfrom outpatient departments. The Hospital Anxiety and despair Scale (HADS) wasrnutilized to assess symptoms of anxiety and despair. Demographic information andrnclinical history were gathered and examined utilizing descriptive andrninferential statistics.

Results: There were 29 patients (58%) who showed signsrnof depression and 32 patients (64%) who showed signs of anxiety out of the 50rntotal. Thirty percent of patients reported moderate to severe anxiety, andrntwenty-two percent reported moderate to severe depression. The prevalence ofrnboth depression and anxiety was considerably higher in female patients andrnthose with numerous chronic illnesses (p<0.05). It was shown that thernseverity of psychological symptoms was positively correlated with the durationrnof sickness.

Conclusion: Patients with long-term health issues,rnespecially women and those with several medical diseases, are at increased riskrnfor developing depression and anxiety. In order to enhance patient outcomesrnoverall, it is vital to identify mental health disorders early on and integraterntheir management into chronic disease care.