Screening for depressive disorders in outpatients with mild to moderate psoriasis: A study from North India.

ABSTRACT

Background: Psoriasis and depressive disorders commonly occur together. Depressive disorders have an impact on the quality of life and the outcome of psoriasis. Aims: The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of using a modifi cation of the Hindi translation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a verbal, clinician administered, short screening questionnaire for detecting depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: One hundred and four out-patients with psoriasis were recruited in the study. In the fi rst stage of the study, socio-demographic data, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score, and Dermatological Quality of Life (DLQI) score were recorded. The modifi ed questionnaire was administered by the dermatologist. In the second stage, psychiatric diagnoses were confi rmed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results: The prevalence of depressive disorders was 39.4%. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed that the questionnaire had a good discriminant ability in detecting depressive disorders (area under curve 0.81, SE = 0.04, 95% confi dence interval = 0.72–0.89). Limitations: The sample size is small and more studies are needed with the screening questions in different languages to validate the fi ndings of the study. Conclusion: The questionnaire can be a useful screening instrument for detecting depressive disorders in patients with psoriasis.