An Epidemiological Study of Prevalence of Depressive Illness in Rural Punjab

T h e prevalence of manic depressive illness the world over is generally believed to be aroimd 3-1/1000, whereas the period prevalence for all forms of depressions has been estimated at 3 per cent per annum in North American population (Lehmann, 1971). Hospital data from various centres in India have given conflicting findings. Generally tfie figures from North India have been consistently high, ranging between 22 per cent to 35 per cent (Wig, 1969—21.7 per cent; Singh, 1979—34.9 per cent) and the vast bulk of these cases being diagnosed as M D P (2.-1.9 per cent M D P and 9.07 per cent depressive neurosis) rather than depressive neuroris. In comparison the figures from South reported by Satyawati and Sunderraj (1964—4.9 per cent), Venkoba Rao (1970—6 per cent, and 12 per cent in 1978) have been relatively lower (4—12 per cent) with Raju (1980) recently reporting an overall rate of 26.7 per cent comprised of MDP 6.6. per cent and 20.1 per cent depressive neurosis. In western studies also the frequency of depression has been always noted lo be high amongst hospital patients. Ratcliffe (1964) noted that 40 per cent of males and 60 per cent of female admissions to a Scottish hospital had depression. In recent years, there has been considerable speculation as to whether these high hospital figures for depressive illness and especially for psychotic type in North India reflect a true high prevalence in the population or is it due to some