PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL PHENOMENOLOGY OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS IN EMIGRANTS AND RE-EMIGRANTS

Abstract

The current political and economic situation in Ukraine is due to the fact that the phenomena of emigration and re-immigration are one of the most urgent issues of state and social issues. According to the International Organization for Migration, as of 2011, the number of Ukrainian emigrants was about 6.5 million people (14.4 % of the permanent population).

The aim of the study – to learn the syndromological features of depressive disorders in emigrants and re-emigrants.

Material and Methods. 98 emigrants, 95 re-emigrants and 98 non-emigrants, patients with depressive, psychogenic, endogenous and organic disorders were  clinically examined.

Results. Re-emigrants were more affected by typical affective syndromes – aphastic and depressive, and emigrants – with atypical affective syndromes, in particular, anxiety-depressive and agitation, which can be explained by the influence of objective socio-psychological factors, as well as intrapsychic transformation of topical stress-inducing stimuli, with emigration and re-emigration.

Conclusions. 1. The factor of emigration and re-emigration affects the psycho-emotional sphere of emigrants and re-emigrants suffering from depressive disorders of various genesis, as evidenced by the features revealed by us in the process of psychopathological symptomatology research. 2. Patients with psychogenic depressive disorders are most susceptible to the effects of emigration compared to patients with endogenous and organic depressions. 3. The contingent of emigrants and re-emigrants has significantly more pronounced signs of somatization, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, somewhat higher components of hostility and phobic anxiety. 4. The most pronounced indicators that characterize the depressive and asthenic tendencies of the re-emigrants were the signs of depression and interpersonal sensitivity, as well as the index of severity of distress. In our opinion, the causes of these differences are the influence of the objective frustration factor in the group of re-immigrants and anxiety concerns about the possibility of continuing work abroad in connection with mental illness – in emigrants.