Pattern of depressive disorder among the permanent sterilized women

A prospective study was done on 100 permanent sterilized women (age 21 to 40 years) attending two model family planning clinics of Dhaka. By using DSM III-R criteria for major depressive episode, 19 were found to have depressive disorder. Among them 3 were severe, 8 were moderate and rest 8 were mild according to HRSD score. The average number of children in postligated depressive group was 5 in number. Almost all the depressives had considerable life events one year before ligation and relationship problem was the most frequent event. The time of occurrence of depressive disorder was within 2-3 months after ligation in 42.11% of the depressives. Only 2 cases of the depressives were getting psychiatric treatment which indicates lack of awareness about the existence of depression among postligated women.