Abstract
The author investigated psychological factors in patients with orthopedic diseases by studying 251 patients utilizing the Self-Rating Questionnaire for Depression (SRQ-D) and with rheumatic arthritis (RA) by studying 80 patients utilizing the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The author's data utilizing SRQ-D shows that 25.5% of 251 patients with orthopedic diseases and 27.1% of 80 patients with RA met the criteria for depression and 21.9% of back pain patients met the criteria. Percentages of depression patients decrease by aging. Percentage of depression patients under 30 years-old shows 23.1% and patients over 60 years-old shows 12.5%. According to orthopedic diseases, whiplash injuries show the highest percentage of depression patients and traumatic diseases such as fracture and dislocation show the lowest. Although similar spinal disease, percentage of depression patients of cervical spondylosis (32.7%) is different from percentage of back pain (21.9%). Utilizing SDS, 17 patients (21.3%) of 80 RA patients met the criteria for depression (scored over 50). Percentages of depression patients in 15 definite RA patients (20%) was slightly higher than percentages of depression patients in 65 classical RA patients (21.5%). Percentage of de-pression patients of female definite RA patients (27.3%) was highest, meanwhile no depression patients presented in male definite RA patients. In conclusion, it is important to find out the symptoms and signs of depression early with careful interviews and suitable questionnaires and to manage the depression patients well.
