Death, dying and near death experience.

Psychology of deaths due to acute medical emergencies is under-researched. Most studies till now have concentrated on extended-death situations like malignancy. This open pilot study of twenty five patients examines the psychological state of patients during a life threatening acute medical illness (Group A, ten patients) and of those who survive such an experience (Group B, fifteen patients).

Reevaluation of ECT in Schizophrenia: Right Temporoparietal versus Bitemporal Electrode Placement.

Two groups of schizophrenic patients received either bitemporal or right temporoparietal electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), both without anesthesia. Each patient received six treatments, the first three at 2-day intervals and the next three at 4-day intervals. Psychiatric evaluations and cognitive tests done at baseline, and 7 and 20 days after therapy, found similar degrees of improvement and similar effects on memory in both groups, with improvement in 40% and impairment in 30% of the patients.

A controlled study of psychosocial factors in neurodermatitis.

A controlled comparison of 25 cases of neurodermatitis with 25 cases of scabies indicated the heavy loading of psychosocial pathology in the neurodermatitis group. Implications of the childhood anamnesis, and findings of different psychometric tests are discussed.

Psychiatric morbidity among patients attending medical outpatient department.

Patients attending the General Medical Out-patient department of a public hospital were selected randomly and screened by a physician and a psychiatrist independently. The data on 258 patients reveal an overall psychiatric morbidity of 36% consisting of 24% pure psychiatric illnesses and 12% with associated organic problems. Females are found to be suffering from psychiatric illnesses to a statistically significantly greater extent as compared to males.

Value of the general health questionnaire in detecting psychiatric morbidity in a general hospital out-patient population.

On administering the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in English, Gujarati and Marathi, to 500 non-acutely ill adult patients selected randomly from a General Hospital Out-patient Department, it was found that 57% scored high (12 and above), indicating the possibility of psychiatric morbidity in this group. On subjecting 50 of these patients to blind psychiatric evaluation a misclassification rate of 30% was observed with respect to the G. H.

Obsessive compulsive neurosis: treatment of 28 cases by behaviour therapy.

Twenty-eight cases of obsessive compulsive neurosis were treated with a behaviour therapy package and good results were obtained in 15 (53.6%). Relaxation, thought-stopping, implosion, modelling, response prevention, electrical aversion and positive reinforcement wei; the techniques employed.

Drug surveillance programme in psychiatry - adverse durg reactions.

In a clinically monitored surveillance of adverse drug reactions in a sample of 186 indoor patients in a general hospital over an average hospital stay of about two weeks, the following points were noteworthy. 32.8% of the patients reported side-effects and of these 79.

Lithium in aggression.

Aggression is psychological and social menace. The safety of the patient as well as other members of the society is jeopardised due to severe acts of aggression. Hence control of aggressive behaviour gets a priority over various other symptoms.

Treatment of 26 cases of male sexual dysfunction by behaviour modification techniques.

26 married males with premature ejaculation and secondary impotence were subjected to behavior therapy. Relaxation, graded tasks, semans exercise, the squeeze technique, desensitization and thought stopping were the techniques employed. 15 (58%) of the patients improved.

Evaluation of disulfiram in the treatment of alcoholism.

Seventy five male patients with the diagnosis of alcohol dependence syndrome were given disulfiram and an alcohol challenge was administered to all of them. They were kept on maintenance dose of the drug and followed up for six months, note being made of their improvement on several parameters, viz. the number of drinking episodes, the sevarity of reaction suffered, the side effects experienced etc.

Male homosexuality : a psychiatric study of thirteen cases.

13 male homosexuals who approached us for treatment were studied. They came from unusual family back-grounds, had early homosexual experiences which were repeated and later became pleasurable. They showed a variety of homoerotic activity.

Evaluation of cognitive effects of ect (preliminary observations).

The aim of present double blind controlled study is to evaluate the effects of ECT in Schizophrenia and Depression. 20 depressed and 20 schizophrenic patients of either sex, in the age group 18 to 65 years fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken for study. The psychiatric evaluations were carried out before the treatment, and at the end of 3, 6, 8 and 10 treatments.

Treatment of mental disorders in India.

1. Mental health gets a low priority all over the world but much more so in developing countries. 2.

Knowledge and technology needed for further development of mental health programmes.

Different preventive approaches of mental and neurological disorders are discussed. Special emphasis has been put on the advances of biological research in the elucidation of aetiological and pathogenic mechanisms of major psychoses, such as schizophrenia and affective disorders. Perspectives of genetic and psychopharmacological research are emphasized.