Current Symptoms of Depression at the National Psychiatric Hospital of Thiaroye

Ndiaye-Ndongo Ndèye Dialé^*, Sylla Aida, Bague Boubacar, Fall Lamine, Thiam Mamadou Habib

Service de Psychiatrie du CHNU Fann, Dakar, Sénégal.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2015.66074                

Abstract

Depression is a complex disorder which requires a degree of subtle knowledge of its various clinical expressions in order to be able to provide treatment at an early stage. In light of changes in families and patients, the authors engaged in a psychiatric study of current symptoms of depression. A retrospective study was carried out at the National Psychiatric Hospital of Thiaroye in Senegal from January 1st to December 31st of 2011. It related to the clinical observation of outpatients who had been diagnosed with depression. We found that insomnia occurred most frequently (73.9%), followed by somatic complaints (34.3%). Hallucinations and cenesthopathies occurred in 14.0% and 12.6% of cases, which was much less frequent than what had been observed previously. Symptoms such as delirious ideas are no longer the most common aspect of depression. Suicidal thoughts were found to be more frequent than in prior studies, although the tendency to act on these thoughts was still less than before. Thus, societal changes have had an impact on the expression of depressive disorders, and mental health experts should take heed of this.

Keywords

Depression, Symptoms, Senegal

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Ahyi, R. G. (1977). Les etats depressifs au Senegal a propos de 246 observations (141 p). Dakar: These de Medecine, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar.
[2]	Baldwin, R. C., Chiu, E., Katona, C., & Graham, N. (2002). Guidelines on Depression in Older People (162 p). Londres: Martin Dunitz.
[3]	Barbier, D. (2003). La depression: Sante au Quotidien (226 p).
[4]	Benazzi, F. (2004). Intra-Episode Hypomanic Symptoms during Major Depression and Their Correlates. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 58, 289-294. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2004.01234.x
[5]	Blazer, D. G. (2003). Depression in Late Life: Review and Commentary. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 58, 249-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gerona/58.3.M249
[6]	Bourgeois, M. (1986). Sens du desespoir. Compte rendu de la journee psychiatrique d’Aquitaine.
[7]	Burns, A., Dening, T., & Lawlor, B. (2002). Clinical Guidelines in Old Age Psychiatry (208 p). Londres: Martin Dunitz.
[8]	Collomb, H. Z. J. (1962). Les etats depressifs en milieu africain. Information Psychiatrique, 6, 5l5-528.
[9]	Collomb, H., & Collignon, R. (1974). Les conduites suicidaires en Afrique. Psychopathologie Africaine, X, 55-113.
[10]	Diop, M. (1961). La depression chez le Noir Africain. Bulletins et memoires de la Faculte mixte de medecine et de pharmacie de Dakar, IX, 247-253.
[11]	Ey, H. (1954). Etudes Psychiatriques. In D. De Brouwer (Ed.), Structure des psychoses aigues et destructuration de la conscience (pp. 653-760). Paris: Desclee de Brouwer.
[12]	Fremont, P. (2004). Aspects cliniques de la depression du sujet age. Psycholneuropsychiatr Vieillissement, 2, S19-S27.
[13]	Goldberg, J. F., Perlis, R. H., Bowden, C. L., Thase, M. E., Miklowitz, D. J., Marangell, L. B. et al. (2009). Manic Symptoms during Depressive Episodes in 1380 Patients with Bipolar Disorder: Findings from the STEP-BD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 173-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.08050746
[14]	Judd, L. L., Akiskal, H. S., Schttler, P. J., Coryell, W., Endicott, J., Maser, J. D. et al. (2003). A Prospective Investigation of the Natural History of the Long-Term Weekly Symptomatic Status of Bipolar II Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 261-269. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.3.261
[15]	Karfo, K., Sanou, A., Yaogo, A., Ouango, J. G., & Ouedraogo, A. (2009) Aspects epidemiologiques et cliniques de la depression chez la femme au CHU Yalgado Ouedraogo de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Perspectives Psy, 48, 342-347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/ppsy/2009484342
[16]	Lemperiere, T., Feline, A., Ades, J., Hardy, P., & Rouillon, F. (2006) Psychiatrie de l’adulte. Paris: Masson, 545 p.
[17]	M’boussou, M. (1981). Contribution a l’etude des etats depressifs au Senegal (A propos de 417 observations a la clinique psychiatrique du CHU de Fann Dakar). These de Medecine, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, 137 p.
[18]	Parker, G., & Hadzi, P. (1996). Melancholia: A Disorder of Movement and Mood: A Phenomenological and Neurobiological Review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 342 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511759024
[19]	Thiam, M. H., Karfo, K., Sylla, A., Dassa, S. K., Sy, A., Ba, I., Faye, P. L., & Gueye, M. (2008). Aspects cliniques et psychopathologiques de la depression du post-partum: Rapport d’une serie de onze cas senegalais. Perspectives Psy, 47, 119-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/ppsy/2008472119