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The clinical profile of dysthymia in a group of Latin American women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

CA León
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario del Valle, Unidad de Salud Mental, Apartado Aéreo 1418, Cali, Colombia
A León
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario del Valle, Unidad de Salud Mental, Apartado Aéreo 1418, Cali, Colombia
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Summary

More than half of all patients consulting at public health facilities in Cali, Colombia have been shown to present mental disorders, the majority of which were non-psychotic; there is a high female preponderance amongst the affective disorders. As in other developing countries, in Colombia depressive disorders tend to present as somatic complaints, rather than as mood disturbances. The nomenclature used to describe these disorders is poorly codified, with most patients classed as “neurotic” or “depressed”; the diagnosis of “dysthymia” is very seldom encountered. Mental disorders are frequently misdiagnosed in primary care settings; when identified, treatment of depression by GPs generally involves TCAs or MAOIs, sometimes in conjunction with anxiolytics or neuroleptics. Only very severe cases are referred to psychiatrists, and many patients purchase drugs upon the recommendation of a pharmacist. Diagnostic trends and treatment results of a comparative study of amisulpride and viloxazine carried out in 80 patients assessed by DSM III-R criteria are reported.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 1993

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