Psychological Problems and Experience of Mental Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Associated with Depression

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify psychological problems of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients associated with depression and to obtain valuable suggestion as to effective mental care. Five female patients who were rated as moderate or severe depression by the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used as the subjects with their consent. Their mean age was 41.2 years and the mean period of morbidity was 12.4 years. At the interview, the subjects were asked to talk about daily living and worries such as stress and anxiety caused by RA. SDS was used for evaluation of depression. Psychological problems of RA patients were (1) pain due to RA, (2) anxiety for future life with worsening of functional disorders, (3) anxiety as to therapeutic schedule and (4) problems for fairy caregivers. Mental care was individually carried out through understanding of anxieties and pains underlying the patient's speech and action and disclosing the suppressed stress and anxiety through their own talking, resulting that the depressive symptoms were improved in all subjects.