A study on depressive symptoms present in students with intelligent disability

Introduction: Depression is an increasingly prevalent public health concern, affecting an estimated 350 million people globally. The 2011 World Mental Health Survey of 17 countries found that approximately one in 20 people have experienced a depressive episode. Depressive symptoms have a considerable impact on mortality risk for suicide and cardiovascular and other diseases as well as impaired cognitive and social functioning. Substantial evidence shows that people living with physical disabilities are at least three times more likely to experience depression compared to the general population. Aim: To study the depressive symptoms present among students with intellectual disability in the age group 10 to 18. Methods: A cross sectional observational study was conducted among 50 sample students with mild to moderate level of disability in Kozhikode district, Kerala using simple random sampling. Result: From the study it was found that out of 50 sample population, 40% have mild depressive symptoms, 32% have moderate depressive symptoms, 16% have severe depressive symptoms and 12% have minimal depressive symptoms. It was also found that about 70% of the sample populations do not have any associated diseases. It was also found that among the participants 64% of the sample population has genetic disability.