JSWMC

Background: Wives of men working or living abroad are at a higher risk of developing anxiety and depression. Many of these women present to medical facilities with somatization symptoms rather than the typical features of mental health disorders. This study aims to explore the pattern of somatization among this specific group of women. Material and method: The study initially included 213 women from Sylhet, Bangladesh, whose husbands were working or living abroad. These women presented to the Medicine inpatient department of Sylhet Women’s Medical College. After symptom-specific investigations, 197 participants were selected who had no organic diseases but exhibited anxiety, depression, or both, based on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Hamilton scores. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the pattern of their somatization symptoms. Results: Out of the 197 participants, 103 (52%) had anxiety, 88 (45%) had depression, and 6 (3%) experienced both anxiety and depression. The most common somatization symptom was tension-type headache (27.9%), followed by fibromyalgia (22.33%), sleep disturbances (12.18%), and non-ulcer dyspepsia (9.1%). Cardiac-related somatization symptoms included palpitations (8.1%), shortness of breath (5.58%), and chest pain (4%). Additionally, 11 participants (5.8%) exhibited multiple somatization features, such as a combination of headache, body ache, chest pain, and palpitations. Conclusion: Women whose husbands live or work abroad are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges, with somatization often obscuring the diagnosis. This presents significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for healthcare professionals.