Which is A More Debilitating Disorder Schizophrenia or Dysthymia? - A Comparative Study

Schizophrenia and Dysthymia are debilitating disorders that affect general health and functioning. Studies show that both vastly affect the quality of life (QOL) of patients and cause great amount of disability.

To evaluate and compare the QOL and Disability between patients with Schizophrenia and Dysthymia.

A cross sectional, observational, comparative study was done in a randomly chosen sample of 30 outpatients each of schizophrenia and dysthymia. QOL was assessed using WHOQOL-BREF scale and disability was assessed using the Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS).

Patients of schizophrenia showed greater disability and poorer QOL than patients of dysthymia. The 'Social Relationships' domain of the WHOQOL-BREF scale was the worst affected domain in both groups of patients. Patients with dysthymia also did significantly (p=0.040) better in the 'Psychological' domain; while patients with schizophrenia were significantly (p=0.029) better in the 'Physical Health' domain. Patients with schizophrenia showed greater disability than patients with dysthymia in all the 4 domains of the IDEAS, significantly in the areas of Self care (p<0.001) and Communication-Understanding (p<0.001).

Schizophrenia is a more debilitating disorder than Dysthymia. This assumes significance when planning rehabilitation models for these disorders.