Correlation Between Anxiety, Depression, and Patient Tolerance in Patients With no Prior History of Mental Disorders...

To investigate tolerance to office-based laser surgery (OBLS) in patients with no prior history of mental illnesses, and to analyze the correlation between patient tolerance, anxiety, and depression using validated questionnaires.

Patients aged 18-65 with no prior history of mental disorders undergoing OBLS from May 2024 to September 2024 were included in this study. All patients completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). After surgery, tolerance was assessed using the IOWA satisfaction with anesthesia scale and a Visual Analog Scale for discomfort.

A total of 25 patients were enrolled. Eighteen patients had moderate-severe anxiety and six patients had moderate-severe depression. The mean GAD-7 was 12.32 ± 4.09, and the PHQ-9 score was 6.60 ± 5.43. The mean IOWA score was 1.78 ± 1.07, and the mean VAS for discomfort was 4.60 ± 3.31. There was a moderate negative correlation between IOWA score and GAD-7 score (r = -0.489) and a mild positive correlation between the GAD-7 score and the VAS score for discomfort (r = 0.372). A mild negative correlation was found between IOWA scores and PHQ-9 scores (r = -0.357) and a weak positive correlation between the PHQ-9 score and the VAS score (r = 0.204). It is important to note that although this study group had a high risk for anxiety and depression, the results indicated that OBLS was a well-tolerated procedure. This could be ascribed to the non-invasiveness of OBLS and proper application of topical anesthesia.

The study revealed a high tolerance level despite a high risk for anxiety and depression in a large percentage of our study group. Moreover, there was a mild to moderate negative correlation between anxiety, depression, and patient tolerance.

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