2001 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 260-267
The impact of gynecological disease on mental health has not been clarified so far. Using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), we studied the mental health of patients who were hospitalized with various gynecological diseases. The subjects were 130 patients who were hospitalized in the gynecology ward of Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital; Sixty-two patients were hospitalized for the surgical treatment of benign disease (Group B), 32 were hospitalized for surgical treatment of malignant disease (Group M), and 36 were admitted for chemotherapy after initial treatments (Group C). Patients anonymously completed the Japanese version of the HADS within 3 days after admission. A group of 2,943 healthy women served as the control. When compared with the healthy women, the gynecological inpatients had a significantly higher global HADS score, as well as higher anxiety and depression scores. The patients in Group M had a significantly higher global score, anxiety score, and depression score than the control group (p<0.05). When compared with Group B, Group M had a significantly higher global score and depression score, but no significant difference was observed for the anxiety score. In Group B, only the anxiety score was significantly higher when compared with that of the control group. Group C had a significantly higher global score, anxiety score, and depression score when compared with the control group. When compared with Groups B and M, however, Group C showed no significant differences and the scores for this group were between those of the other two groups. Evaluation of the individual HADS items showed that the patients in Group M had significantly higher scores than those in Group B for two anxiety items and one depression item. These results suggest that the hospitalization for gynecological disease has an influence on mental health. At the time of admission, it is considered important to determine the state of mind of each patient. Patients with benign disease are likely to need support for anxiety, while patients with malignant disease seem to need treatment for depression as well as anxiety. It may be possible for patients who are in need of mental care to be detected by screening using the HADS.
