FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ANXIETY AND MOOD DISORDERS AND HISTORY OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR

There is increasing recognition of the importance of functional outcomes in patients with mental disorder and suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of functional impairment among patients with anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) with risk of suicidal behavior. This study included 31 (38±12.8 years old, 64.5% women) patients with AMD and high risk of suicidal behavior and 37 controls (42.4±12.7, 81.1% women) (without history of mental disorders, but with physical disability, admitted for physical rehabilitation). There were no significant differences between AMD patients and the control group with respect to age and gender. The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) was employed to measure the degree of the functional impairment in work/school, social life, and home life on 10-point visual analog scale; the sum (SDS-total) was calculated. The mean SDS scores were significantly higher in AMD patients than the controls for social life item (6.84±2.49 vs. 0.86±1.27), for family life item (61±2.94 vs. 1.35±1.47), for work/school item (6.84±2.66 vs. 1.89±2.19), and for SDS-total score (20.29±7.02 vs. 4.11±4.31) (all p