Survey on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on the Sri Lankan mental healthcare system and the needs of frontline healthcare workers in the post-covid era.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic severely strained the health care in Sri Lanka. The subsequent economic crisis compounded this issue. Priority was given to treating those afflicted with COVID-19 and preventing its spread, and healthcare staff faced immense difficulties dealing with the situation.

Global child and adolescent mental health perspectives: bringing change locally, while thinking globally.

Child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) are a global priority. Different countries across the globe face unique challenges in CAMH services that are specific to them. However, there are multiple issues that are also similar across countries.

Diagnosing autism in low-income countries: Clinical record-based analysis in Sri Lanka.

Use of autism diagnosing standards in low-income countries (LICs) are restricted due to the high price and unavailability of trained health professionals. Furthermore, these standards are heavily skewed towards developed countries and LICs are underrepresented. Due to such constraints, many LICs use their own ways of assessing autism.

Wellbeing, burnout and substance use amongst medical students: A summary of results from nine countries.

Objective: There has been increasing interest in the physical health, mental wellbeing and burnout afflicting medical students over recent years. This paper describes the overall results from phase two of an international study including a further nine countries across the world.

Methods: We sampled large groups of medical students in nine countries at the same time and with exactly the same method in order to aid direct comparison of demographics, burnout and mental wellbeing through validated instruments.

Psychological wellbeing and mental health amongst medical undergraduates: A descriptive study assessing more than 1,000 medical students in Sri Lanka.

Background: Studies from around the world have shown higher rates of anxiety, depression, alcohol and other drug use, and burnout in medical students.

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the socio-demographic factors and severity of difficulties Sri Lankan medical students face regarding psychological wellbeing and burnout.

Method: This one-off survey used a cross-sectional design, assessing substance use, psychological wellbeing, and burnout using the CAGE, GHQ-12, and OLBI.

Treatment-Emergent Mania in a Prepubertal Boy.

Bipolar disorder among children has gained acceptance as a diagnostic entity but continues to pose diagnostic and management challenges due to the developmental differences in children and inadequate evidence for pharmacological management. We present the case of a prepubertal child presenting with an apparent depressive episode who developed treatment-emergent mania when commenced on sertraline. This case highlights the need for further research into the presentations and pharmacological management of prepubertal children with bipolar affective disorder.

Dandy-Walker Malformation Presenting with Psychological Manifestations.

Dandy-Walker malformation, which is a congenital malformation of the cerebellum, is documented in literature to be associated with psychotic symptoms, obsessive compulsive symptoms, mood symptoms, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. The pathogenesis of psychiatric symptoms in Dandy-Walker malformation is thought to be due to disruption of the corticocerebellar tracts, resulting in what is known as cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome. We present a case of Dandy-Walker malformation presenting with psychiatric symptoms.