Anxiety and depression of 405 ambulatory leprosy patients were evaluated with Zun
g’s selfrating anxiety scale(SAS) and self-rating depression scale(SDS) and were
compared with those of normal control group.
1. The leprosy patients showed significantly higher scores in both SAS and SDS than
normal control group (p<0.01). Depression seemed to be more serious.
2. The symptoms of anxiety and depression of leprosy patients were characterized by
the higher scores in the items of personal devaluation, hopelessness, suicidal rumination,
emptiness, sleep disturbance, night mare, psychomotor agitation, paresthesia, confusion,
mental disintegration, tremor, fatigue, dizziness, weight loss, and decreased libido,
contrast to those of normal control group as Perspiration, facial flushing, fear, panic,
anxiousness, psychomotor retardation, constipation, crying spells, diurnal variation, and
indecisiveness.
This symptom pattern is thought to reflect the conflict of leprosy patients associated
with chronic course of illness, physical deformities and social prejudice and isolation.
3. The severity of anxiety and depression of leprosy patients was significantly
correlated with longer duration of illness, longer duration of treatment, younger age,
divorce, seperation and widowhood, lower education level and absence of jobor lower
level of occupation, but not with sex and other medical factors as type of leprosy,
bacterial index, degree of deformity, and regularity of treatment.
4. These results suggest that psychosocial factors such as security of home life,
education, stability of occupation, and protection from social prejudice as well as early
detection and treatment of illness, are the important requisites for mental health and
rehabilitation of leprosy patients.
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