comparison of life events in depressive illness and dissociative [conversion] disorders

ABSTRACT

To compare the nature, number and timings of the stressful life events prior to dissociative [conversion] disorders and depressive illness. Comparative study. Place and duration of the study Psychiatry Unit, Government Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from December 2003 to December 2004. We recruited dissociative [conversion], depressed and normal control subjects [N=225] divided into three groups, details regarding life events over one year period by using Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale was obtained. Statistical analyses yielded support for the hypotheses that stressful life events are associated with dissociative [conversion] disorders and depressive illness. No significant difference was found in scores on PSLES for dissociative [conversion] [n=75, M=114.51+28.67] and depressive groups [n=75, M=113.75+30.09] [t [148] =-.158, p< .874]. The nature and number of life events reported by dissociative [conversion] [n=75 M=2.09] and depression groups [n=75; M=2.21] and the time that preceded the onset of illness also did not differ significantly. It was accomplished by the findings of the current research that stressful life events preceding depressive illness and dissociative [conversion] disorders were almost of similar nature, type and intensity and temporal relationship was also alike