Khan Tahir M, Sulaiman Syed A, Hassali Mohamed A, Tahir Humera
Senior Lecturer, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ment Health Fam Med. 2011 Sep;8(3):205-8.
Objectives To identify the aetiology and clinical presentation of depression among Malaysian women.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Psychiatry Clinic, Public Hospital, Pulau Penang, Malaysia. Retrospective evaluations of records were conducted between January 2002 and December 2007. The data were analysed using the statistical software, SPSS v. 131®.Results Ninety-six (56.8%) of the patients were Chinese, the mean (± SD) age of the patients was 45 ± 17.8 years, with a majority (72; 42.6%) aged over 50 years. The incidence of depression with comorbid hypertension and comorbid diabetes mellitus was significant among women aged over 50 (P < 0.001 (hypertension) P < 0.015 (diabetes mellitus)). Marital and relationship problems were found to significantly affect Chinese women aged 15-30 years (P = 0.019). In terms of the clinical presentation of depression among Malaysian women, suicidal ideation and somatic symptoms like reduced energy/being easily fatigued were more frequent among Chinese.Conclusion Symptoms of being short-tempered, crying, restless and doubtful/distracted should not be neglected in primary care because of the possibility of mental health disorders. The timely evaluation of diabetic and hypertensive patients is an ideal strategy to prevent mental health disorders.
目的 确定马来西亚女性抑郁症的病因及临床表现。方法 在马来西亚槟城岛公立医院精神科诊所开展一项横断面研究。对2002年1月至2007年12月期间的记录进行回顾性评估。使用统计软件SPSS v. 131® 对数据进行分析。结果 96名（56.8%）患者为华裔，患者的平均（±标准差）年龄为45±17.8岁，大多数（72名；42.6%）年龄超过50岁。50岁以上女性中，抑郁症合并高血压和合并糖尿病的发生率显著（P<0.001（高血压），P<0.015（糖尿病））。婚姻及人际关系问题被发现对15 - 30岁的华裔女性有显著影响（P = 0.019）。在马来西亚女性抑郁症的临床表现方面，自杀意念以及诸如精力减退/易疲劳等躯体症状在华裔中更为常见。结论 在初级保健中，不应忽视易怒、哭泣、烦躁不安及多疑/注意力分散等症状，因为存在心理健康障碍的可能性。对糖尿病和高血压患者进行及时评估是预防心理健康障碍的理想策略。
