Interrelationship of Hypochondriacal, Paranoid, Depressive, and Suicidal Symptoms in Chinese Psychiatric Patients

Data was collected concerning 150 consecutive adult psychiatric patients treated by the authors in a general hospital unit in China. The data on all patients with predominant hypochondriac symptoms or paranoid symptoms were scrutinized. The presence of depressed mood & suicidal ideation in these patients was analysed. 79% of hypochondriac patients were depressed, while only 27% of these had suicidal ideas. 27% of paranoid patients were also found to be depressed, with high suicidal risk. (26 refs) (SC)