Prevalence of Depression among Patients with Chronic Painful Physical Condition and Its Association with Quality of Life

Background & Purpose: Some studies have reported associations between depression and pain syndrome. An epidemiological study in the UK reported that 16.9% of participants with chronic widespread pain also had a psychiatric diagnosis. Purpose of the present study is to know the prevalence of depression among Patients with Chronic Painful Physical condition & to find out association between depression & quality of life among patients with chronic painful physical condition.Methodology: 120 patients with chronic painful physical condition who met inclusion criteria were recruited from SPB Physiotherapy OPD. Written informed consent was taken. All the participants were asked to fill up the Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) to determine the prevalence of Depression and the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) for quality of life assessment.Results: Among 120 participants 63 (52.5%) participants were reported mild to moderate depression. Result of spearman’s test suggested moderate negative correlation (r = -0.41, P = 0.00943) between depression and quality of life among participants with Chronic Painful Physical Condition.Conclusion: The present study concluded that 52.5% patients with chronic painful physical condition have mild to moderate symptoms of depression and there is moderate negative co-relation exist between depression and quality of life among them.Key words: Depression, Painful Physical Condition, SF36, BDI, Quality of Life.