Study on the Transition of Defense Mechanisms from a Healthy Frame of Mind to a Depressed Outlook on Life

Abstract

Aims: This study examines changes in various defense mechanisms as individuals transition from a healthy state of mind to a depressed state, as well as the prevalence of different defense mechanisms. Study Design: Hospital- and Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study Place and Duration of the Study: Department of psychiatry of Late Shri Lakhiram Agrawal Memorial Government Medical College, Raigarh & various institutes of Raigarh and community homes of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, from June 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. Methodology: We enrolled 201 patients clinically diagnosed with depression and 1187 subjects from the general population. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Defense Style Questionnaire 40 and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire- revised were used to collect data. The collected data were analysed using SPSS software, and appropriate parametric tests were applied to assess the reliability of the data. Results: Findings indicate that the prevalence of defense mechanisms such as undoing, idealization, reaction formation, isolation, displacement, somatization, denial, projection, passive-aggression, devaluation, and autistic fantasy increased with heightened levels of depression severity measured by the Depression Rating Scale. Conversely, humor and sublimation were observed to diminish as depression severity intensified. Additionally, mechanisms like dissociation, splitting, acting out, anticipation, suppression, pseudo-altruism, and rationalization exhibited no significant variation. Furthermore, no substantial correlations between personality traits and depression were identified. We were unable to identify any significant relationships between personality traits and depression. Conclusion: This study suggests focusing on or preventing defective defensive mechanisms and evaluating patient prognosis in individuals with clinical or subclinical depression. These findings may assist in integrating novel therapeutic modalities into cognitive behavioral therapy.