Suffering anxiety and depression together, more likely experienced by women and diabetic patients

SINGAPORE: A study published earlier this month on the prevalence of clinical depression and anxiety in the Singapore primary care setting has shown that more participants suffered from both clinical depression and anxiety rather than just one of the conditions.

The article, published in Annals, the official journal of Singapore’s Academy of Medicine, is believed to be the first of its kind.

Primary care is provided in community settings. It focuses on the basics of care, such as preventing illness, making diagnoses, and treating conditions that do not require hospital confinement.

General practitioners, nurses, physicians, and even, in some cases, pharmacists provide primary care.

The survey carried out via self-administered questionnaires given to 3,505 people at the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics from December 2021 to April 2022, found that among its participants, 5.4 per cent suffered from coexisting clinical depression and anxiety, compared to clinical depression only (3.3 per cent) and clinical anxiety only (1.9 per cent).

“Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent mental health conditions worldwide. However, little is known about their specific prevalence in primary care settings.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety in the primary care population and identify associated patient characteristics,” it reads.

The study found that the chances of having depression and anxiety together were higher among 21 to 39-year-olds and 40 to 64-year-olds in comparison to those older than 65.

Women also had higher odds of having depression and anxiety in comparison to men.

Moreover, people who have been diagnosed with diabetes last have a greater chance of having both mental health conditions at the same time.

“Coexisting clinical depression and anxiety are significantly present in the primary care setting, especially among younger individuals, patients with diabetes and women.

Mental health screening programmes should include screening for both depression and anxiety and target these at-risk groups,” the study says.

“Young people may be in the sandwich generation, so they have to take care of their elderly parents and young children at the same time. During this period, there is a lot of pressure to take care of one’s own work, career and finances.

Many times, patients will say, ‘I don’t have depression and anxiety. I don’t have it.’ They are in a situation where they refuse to accept it, or they may accept that I may have depression.

And symptoms of an anxiety disorder, but don’t necessarily receive treatment,” Dr Chua Yu Chong, a family physician and assistant consultant at the National Healthcare Group Polyclinic is quoted as saying in an 8world article about the study.

/TISG

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