Depressive status of leprosy patients in Bangladesh: association with self-perception of stigma

Stigmatization by the general population and their negative attitudes towards leprosy negatively impacts on patients' mental health, and so too does patients' perception of that stigma. The objective of this present study is to assess the depressive status of leprosy patients, the patient perception of that stigma, and its association with their depressive status in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Subjects were 140 patients, and a selected comparison group of 135 local people without any chronic diseases. To evaluate depressive status, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) Bengali version was applied. The patient group's depressive status was significantly more severe than that of the comparison group. Depressive status of those who answered affirmatively was significantly more severe than that of those…