‘Depressive Psychosis, More In Women’

Nearly 25 per cent of persons admitted into hospitals for stress suffer from psychotic depression with about 61% of the cases being women.

Dr. S. Okechukwu, a private medical practitioner, in Port Harcourt made this disclosure in a brief chat with The Tide on Monday.

He stated that conditions such as an unenvisaged, unplanned long waits in traffic could cause several forms of stress which, he said, if not checked could lead to depression psychosis.

He explained that stressful conditions are situations that happen in our lives that propels us to do better, but becomes distressful when it persists for a longer than expected period.

According to him “when chemicals such as adrenalin cortisol, which are produced during stress, remain at high levels in the body, disease conditions such as high blood pressure, peptic ulcer, diabetes and depressive psychosis occur,” he said.

Okechukwu continued that, women who are affected more from the illness suffer from menstrual disorder, eating disorder and loss of interest in life generally.

Other effects in both men and women, he said, are sexual and sleep disorders as well as alcoholism and violence.

Regrettably, he noted, “the disease is not curable, but manageable, because sufferers live with it their entire life.”

Tonye Nria-Dappa