Abstract            Volume:4  Issue-11  Year-2016         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Hirsutism is defined as excessive growth of terminal hair on the face and body of women with male distribution type pattern. In a series of studies, the prevalence of hirsutism has been reported 5-8% of the total female population. The effect of hirsutism on life quality of women may be profound and may cause mental disorders that threaten female identity. This is an epidemiological-analytical study which was conducted on patients with hirsutism referred to dermatology clinic of Ahvaz Imam Khomeini (RA) hospital as case group and non-hirsute people among the fellows of patients referred to dermatology clinic as control group. 97 patients with hirsutism as case group and 97 non-hirsute people as control group completed the mental health questionnaire (SCL-90-R). To analyze the data, independent t test, chi-square test and Spearman correlation coefficient were used. All analyzes were conducted by using SPSS software version 20. Mental health of patients with hirsutism was significantly lower than the control group. Variables depression, anxiety, physical complaints, obsession- compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, psychosis and paranoid ideation are more in patients with hirsutism compared to non-hirsute people. There is no a significant relationship between age, marital status, site of hirsutism and family history of hirsutism with mental health in patients with hirsutism. Mental health of patients with hirsutism is lower than the non-hirsute people. So with regard to the effect of hirsutism on mental health of these people and their life quality, they need to psychiatric consultation alongside the treatment of disease which can lead to reduction of mental disorders and getting better of their mental health.

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