Abstract
Three hundred twelve patients in the climacteric state, consulted the Division of Gynecology at our hospital for hormone replacement therapy, and were screened by Self-Rating-Questionnare for Depression (SRQ-D). Sixteen patients were referred to our psychiatric out-patient unit because they scored over 10 points on SRQ-D which suggested the presence of depression. Twelve patients actually underwent psychiatric examination. Eight patients were diagnosed with depression and 4 patients were diagnosed with neurosis. The mean value of SRQ-D points in the 12 patients was 19.6±6.2. Neurosis could not be distinguished from depression by SRQ-D. Eight of 312 patients had histories of previous psychiatric illness, 7 patients had depression and one psychogenic reaction. The mean value of SRQ-D points in the 7 patients was 10.9±7.7. These results suggest that consultation liaison service, particularly cooperative treatment by gynecologists and psychiatrists is useful for climacteric patients.
