Psychiatric Risk Factors and Burn Severity in Self-immolation.

Self-immolation, a form of self-harm involving setting oneself on fire, is associated with high mortality, morbidity, and healthcare burden. This study aimed to characterize potential clinical correlates and predisposing factors for self-immolation based on burn severity using TBSA percentage scoring. Additional objectives included identifying motivational elements, associated risk factors, and clinical characteristics to optimize patient care and reduce future self-immolation incidents.

Medical events in SARS-Cov-2 infected psychiatric inpatients with and without pre-existing co-morbid medical conditions.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection can be associated with significant medical complications. This risk could be even higher in psychiatric patients due to an increased risk of medical co-morbidity. In addition, psychiatric patients are also vulnerable to acquiring SARS-CoV2 infection due to homelessness, living in crowded areas, and poor adherence to recommended preventive measures.

Possible Role of Parvalbumin Interneurons in Meditation and Psychiatric Illness.

Parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are present in multiple brain regions and produce complex influences on brain functioning. An increasing number of research findings indicate that the function of these interneurons is more complex than solely to inhibit pyramidal neurons in the cortex. They generate feedback and feedforward inhibition of cortical neurons, and they are critically involved in the generation of neuronal network oscillation.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures on inpatient psychiatric units.

Psychiatric inpatients are at high risk of acquiring and transmitting communicable diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Via chart review, the authors examined a cohort of COVID-positive psychiatric inpatients admitted between March and June of 2020, early in the pandemic, to Valleywise Health Medical Center (VMHC), in Arizona, USA. The goal was to assess the ways in which the virus itself as well as infection prevention and control (IPC) measures affected psychiatric inpatients.

Struggling to find Effective Pharmacologic Options for Akathisia? B-CALM!

Akathisia is a movement disorder affecting the trunk and limbs, characterized by subjective and objective restlessness. Key signs include continual, repetitive rocking, leg shuffling, and fidgeting. Antipsychotic-induced akathisia is optimally managed by reducing the medication dose or switching to a second generation antipsychotic that is less prone to inducing akathisia.

Lithium-Associated Hyperparathyroidism Followed by Catatonia.

Objective: To familiarize the medical community with the less common adverse effects of lithium on parathyroid function, we present a case of lithium-associated hyperparathyroidism followed by the development of new-onset catatonia in a patient with schizoaffective disorder.

Methods: To allow for the safe resumption of lithium, the patient received laboratory screening of serum lithium, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, calcium, and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. The hypercalcemia was evaluated by measuring parathyroid hormone (PTH), ionized calcium, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels.

Telepsychiatry and Medical Insurance: Comparative Perspectives Between India and the United States.

Telepsychiatry is a cost-effective alternative to in-person psychiatric consultations. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a sharp spike in the utilization of telepsychiatry due to ongoing restrictions on gatherings and traveling. In recognition of the importance of telemedicine in general, and telepsychiatry specifically, telemedicine practice guidelines and telepsychiatry operational guidelines have been released.

Hybrid Telepsychiatry: A United States Perspective with Relevance to India.

Telepsychiatry provides a platform for mental health care delivery in rural and remote areas. Hybrid Telepsychiatry model combines home-based telepsychiatry with domiciliary visits by community mental health workers. This involves use of different modes of teledevices which ensures safe and secure clinical platform.

Use of selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid psychiatric disorders and ASD-associated symptoms: a clinical review.

It is challenging to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid psychiatric disorders and ASD-associated symptoms. Some of the commonly used medications to treat these can, and frequently do have serious adverse side effects. Therefore, it is important to identify medications that are effective and with fewer side effects and negative outcomes.

A Case of Concomitant Pseudocyesis and Couvade Syndrome Variant.

Per DSM-V, pseudocyesis is included under the category "other specified somatic symptom and related disorder" and is defined as a false belief of being pregnant that is associated with objective signs and reported symptoms of pregnancy. The male counterpart of pseudocyesis is Couvade syndrome, also called "sympathetic pregnancy" where a man experiences symptoms of pregnancy when his female partner is pregnant. There are extensive reports on pseudocyesis and Couvade syndrome in psychiatric literature but none with features of both, in a single case.

An Interesting Presentation About Cyclical Menstrual Psychosis with an Updated Review of Literature.

Cyclical menstrual psychosis is an uncommon, generally a self-limiting mental illness that occurs only in females. It is associated with other menstruation-related disorders and stressful psychogenic factors. Nonetheless, many cases remain unrecognized due to poor awareness of its presence.

Successful Management of Psychotropics Induced Stuttering Priapism with Pseudoephedrine in a Patient with Schizophrenia.

Stuttering Priapism is a recurrent, persistent penile erection in the absence of sexual desire due to altered genital hemodynamics, affecting the arterial component (high flow, non-ischemic) or the veno-occlusive mechanism (low flow, ischemic). Both typical and atypical antipsychotics increase the risk for priapism with greater implications in typicals than atypicals. Prompt recognition and treatment are important as 40% to 50% of patients with stuttering priapism may develop an erectile dysfunction if left untreated.