Neurocognitive Functions in Patients with Comorbid Hepatitis C and Opioid Dependence: A Comparative Study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is commonly comorbid with opioid dependence (OD). We wanted to compare the neurocognitive functions of OD subjects with or without HCV [HCV (+), HCV (-)] and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: We recruited 40 adult subjects (age 18-55 years) in each group.

Quality of Life, Social Support, Coping Strategies, and Psychiatric Morbidity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

 Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have greater psychological morbidity, despite that research in this area is scarce from developing countries. This study was aimed to assess the association of quality of life, social support, coping strategies, and psychological morbidity in patients with RA.  In this cross-sectional study, 40 patients with RA, who were not receiving steroids or disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, were recruited through purposive sampling.

A Scoping Review of the Prevalence and Correlates of Sexual Dysfunction in Adults With Substance use Disorders.

Background: Substance use may affect sexual functioning in both men and women. Comorbid sexual dysfunction adds to the clinical burden of substance use disorders (SUD).

Aims: The broad aims were to identify research conduct, types of the available evidence, and research gaps in (i) estimating the incidence, prevalence, type, and severity of sexual dysfunction in adults with SUD; (ii) exploring correlates of sexual dysfunction in SUD.

Predictors of retention in the treatment for opioid dependence: A prospective, observational study from India.

Background: Literature on a longitudinal study of the determinants of treatment retention for patients with opioid dependence is limited.

Aim: To find out patient- and treatment-related (buprenorphine-naloxone-assisted treatment [BNX treatment] versus naltrexone treatment) predictors for retention in maintenance treatment.

Materials And Methods: A total of 100 participants with opioid dependence were recruited by convenience sampling.

Age of onset of substance use in patients with dual diagnosis and its association with clinical characteristics, risk behaviors, course, and outcome: A retrospective study.

Research Question: Do patients with dual diagnosis (DD) with an early initiation of substance use and subsequent early onset substance use disorder (EOS) differ from those with late onset substance use disorder (LOS) regarding characteristics, sex-related risk behaviors, course, and outcome?

Objectives: The aim is to study EOS and LOS groups of patients with DD attending a treatment center with regard to clinical characteristics, type of psychiatric disorders, risk behaviors, and short-term outcome.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with DD ( = 307) with regard to the above variables. Diagnoses of both substance use disorders (SUDs) and psychiatric disorders were made by qualified psychiatrists as per the International Classification of Diseases, 10 revision.

Initial treatment dropout in patients with substance use disorders attending a tertiary care de-addiction centre in north India.

Background & Objectives: Dropout from substance use disorders treatment is associated with poor outcomes. Although many factors have been associated with an early dropout of patients, the reasons for dropping out of treatment prematurely remain poorly understood particularly in the Indian context. This study was aimed to study socio-demographic and clinical variables predicting initial dropout of patients attending a tertiary care de-addiction treatment centre in north India.

Brief intervention in substance use disorders.

Unhealthy substance use lies on a wide range that extends from occasional mild risky/harmful/hazardous use to severe substance use disorder. Brief intervention (BI) is a technique, used to initiate change for an unhealthy or risky substance use. It can be delivered by a vast array of trained professionals, in opportunistic settings (i.

Organ transplant & the psychiatrist: An overview.

Organ transplantation has emerged as the saving grace for those who are suffering from end organ disease. Advent of modern surgical procedures and immunosuppressants further decrease morbidity and mortality. Meta-analyses have shown that post-organ transplantation quality of life improves for social, physical and daily activity functioning, but not consistently for psychological health.

Cardiac risk factors and metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia admitted to a general hospital psychiatric unit.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors and metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients with schizophrenia.

Materials And Methods: By consecutive sampling, 143 patients (of age ≥ 20 years), out of total 159 patients with schizophrenia admitted to the inpatient unit were evaluated for the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk as per Framingham (10-year all CHD events) function/risk equation and systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) - 10-year cardiovascular mortality risk (CMR). Prevalence of MS was estimated by using the consensus definition.

Cardiovascular risk factors among bipolar disorder patients admitted to an inpatient unit of a tertiary care hospital in India.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods: By consecutive sampling, 93 inpatients (aged ≥20 years) diagnosed with bipolar disorder were evaluated for 10 year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk and 10-year cardiovascular mortality risk (CMR) on the Framingham (10-year all CHD events) function/risk equation and Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) respectively.

Results: Ten-year CHD risk was 3.

Profile of inhalant users seeking treatment at a de-addiction centre in north India.

Background & Objectives: Inhalants are substances whose chemical vapors are inhaled to produce euphoric, disinhibiting, and exciting effects. Data on inhalant abuse in India are relatively scarce. We report the demographic and clinical profile of inhalant users among the treatment seekers at a Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre in north India.

Family burden in injecting versus noninjecting opioid users.

Background: A substance-dependent person in the family affects almost all aspects of family life that also impact the lives of the significant others and causes enormous burden.

Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the pattern of burden borne by the family caregivers of patients with opioid-dependence-injecting drug users (IDU) and noninjecting drug users (NIDU).

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ICD-10 diagnosed-opioid-dependent subjects (IDU and NIDU, N = 40 in each group) and their family caregivers attending a de-addiction centre at a multispecialty teaching hospital in North India.

Delirium: Predictors of delay in referral to consultation liaison psychiatry services.

Objective: To evaluate the predictors of delay in psychiatry referral for patients with delirium.

Materials And Methods: The consultation liaison psychiatry registry and case notes of 461 patients referred to psychiatry consultation liaison services and diagnosed as having delirium were reviewed. Data pertaining to sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, Delirium Rating Scale-Revised 98 version, etiologies associated with delirium were extracted.

Metabolic syndrome among substance dependent men: A study from north India.

Background: Substance abuse, alcohol in particular, is associated with increased risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MS). The relationship between the substance abuse and MS is complex and the literature is sparse.

Objectives: The present research was aimed to study the prevalence and predictors of MS among outpatients with substance dependence.

Demographic and clinical profile of substance abusing women seeking treatment at a de-addiction center in north India.

Background: In the recent decades increasing number of women have been seeking deaddiction services. Despite that the report data is very limited from India.

Objectives: The present research aimed to study the demographic and clinical profile of women seeking deaddiction treatment at a tertiary care center in North India.

Metabolic syndrome in alcohol-dependent men: a cross-sectional study.

Background: In the context to mental illness metabolic syndrome (MS) has gained significant attention in the last decade. The present research aimed to study the prevalence of MS and its correlates among the alcohol-dependent men at a deaddiction center in Northern India.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was done for consecutive male subjects who met the diagnosis of alcohol-dependence syndrome currently using alcohol according to the International Clinical Diagnostic criteria- tenth revision mental and behavioral disorder- Clinical description and diagnostic guidelines criteria (ICD-10).

HIV Stigma and Specified Correlates in North India.

Background: Worldwide, the stigma and discrimination impede HIV-AIDS programs across the continuum of prevention to care. We studied stigma and related issues in HIV-positive subjects.

Materials And Methods: At a tertiary care hospital in North India, we studied 100 HIV-positive outpatients not receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Family burden with substance dependence: a study from India.

Background & Objectives: A substance dependent person in the family affects almost all aspects of family life. This leads to problems, difficulties or adverse events which impact the lives of family members and causes enormous burden on family caregivers. The present study aimed to assess the pattern of burden borne by the family caregivers of men with alcohol and opioid dependence.

Psychiatric morbidity in pemphigus and psoriasis: a comparative study from India.

Aim: This study was designed to examine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and its psychosocial and psychopathological correlates in patients with pemphigus in comparison to those with psoriasis.

Materials And Methods: Patients with pemphigus (n=50), group matched for demography, with those with psoriasis (n=30), and healthy controls (n=30), were subjected to cross-sectional assessment for duration, severity, and impact of dermatological disorder, attitude to appearance, social support, coping strategies, disability, quality of life, and psychiatric morbidity and diagnosis.

Results: The pemphigus group recorded the psychiatric morbidity rates at 40% by GHQ-12 and 26% by ICD-10; the ICD-10 diagnoses included adjustment disorder (16%), depressive episode (8%), and acute and transient psychosis (2%).

Relationship between cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms of delirium.

Aim: To study relationship between the cognitive and the non-cognitive symptoms of delirium.

Methods: Eighty-four patients referred to psychiatry liaison services and met DSM-IVTR criteria of delirium were assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-1998 (DRSR-98) and Cognitive Test for Delirium (CTD).

Results: The mean DRS-R-98 severity score was 17.

Seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibody and HCV-related risk in injecting drug users in northern India: comparison with non-injecting drug users.

Aim: The current study was designed to study seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibody in injecting drug users (IDUs) and non-injecting drug users (non-IDUs) with or without other HCV-related risk behaviour.

Materials And Methods: Serum of male inpatients of the three groups in a tertiary-care hospital in north India was screened for anti-HCV antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for two years. The presence of risk behaviours or risk exposure (sharing needle or other drug-related paraphernalia, multiple sex partners, unprotected sex with commercial sex workers/strangers, and blood transfusion) was assessed with the risk questionnaire.

Comparative study of prevalence of metabolic syndrome in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia from North India.

Background: Very few studies have compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) between patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Aim: The study aimed to compare the prevalence of MS in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Materials And Methods: By consecutive sampling, 126 patients with schizophrenia and 72 patients with bipolar disorder admitted to a psychiatry inpatient unit were evaluated for the presence of MS using the criteria of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III).

Diplopia with dextropropoxyphene withdrawal.

As an infrequent symptom diplopia has been reported with opiate withdrawal, especially heroin, but not dextropropoxyphene. We report incomitant esotropia and diplopia in a case with dextropropoxyphene withdrawal that resolved completely with the resolution of the opiate withdrawal syndrome.

Carisoprodol: an underrecognized drug of abuse in north India.

Background: There is limited literature on clinical profile of subjects abusing carisoprodol.

Methods: Our series of 34 subjects shows that a typical subject was an unmarried, unemployed, urban resident from a nuclear family set up; was a substance abuser before being introduced to carisoprodol by another substance abuser; initiated the use to get a better "kick" and after regular use reported craving and withdrawal symptoms.

Results: The effect of carisoprodol was dose dependent: a majority reported a feeling of general wellbeing on consuming up to three tablets; a hypomanic state with 4-10 tablets and confusion, disorientation and drowsiness with >10 tablets at a time.