The use of psychometric methods for the diagnosis of anxiety and depressive disorders in patients with a general somatic profile

Aim. To identify and compare the level of anxiety and depression in therapeutic patients with somatic pathology, establish the structure of the gender distribution of anxiety and depressive disorders.

Methods. The study involved 126 people: 74 (58.73%) women and 52 (41.27%) men aged 21–59 years. 59 patients had diseases of the respiratory system (chronic bronchitis in the acute stage with an asthmatic component), 67 patients with cardiovascular diseases (40 subjects with coronary heart disease, 27 subjects with arterial hypertension). In 11 patients with coronary artery disease and 13 patients with hypertension, type I thyrotoxicosis was diagnosed. Clinical psychopathological, psychometric, psychological and statistical methods were used in the study. Psychometric tests were used: the Depression Scale of the Center for Epidemiological Research; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Taylor Anxiety Disorder Scale adapted by T.A. Nemchinova and V.G. Norakidze, adapted standardized multivariate questionnaire for personality research.

Results. According to the severity of anxiety and depressive disorders, patients were divided into the groups: group 1 with severe level, group 2 with a moderate (subclinical) level, and group 3 with mild (not exceeding the norm) anxiety and depressive disorders. Severe and moderate disorders are most characteristic for the pathology of cardiovascular system. In coronary artery disease and arterial hypertension, abnormal (severe and moderate) anxiety and depressive disorders were observed in 24/29 (82.76%) and 20/22 (90.9%) patients, respectively. In patients with abnormal anxiety and depressive disorders, the number of women prevailed over men in the subgroup with hypertension (80% versus 20%, p=0.025) as well as in combination of hypertension with type 1 thyrotoxicosis (85.7% versus 14.3%, р=0.029).

Conclusion. In patients, severe and moderate anxiety and depressive disorders are associated with the development of the pathology of cardiovascular system: coronary heart disease and arterial hypertension.