Indian J Psychol Med
October 2020
This review chronicles the origin of telepsychiatry services started by the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in the community and traces the birth of the Scarf Telepsychiatry in Pudukkottai (STEP) program at Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu. This paper also examines the trajectory of STEP and highlights other relevant models existing in the country in the last decade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsian J Psychiatr
August 2020
Association of Prolactin levels & symptoms in first episode drug naïve Schizophrenia have been equivocal. This cross-sectional comparative study in a tertiary setting was conceived to examine the role of Sex hormones and symptoms in first episode untreated schizophrenia. To measure & compare the circulating estradiol, testosterone & prolactin levels in drug naïve first episode patients with Schizophrenia & healthy age matched controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Body weight image self-esteem questionnaire (BWISE) has been recently developed to assess psychosocial adjustment related to antipsychotic induced weight gain in Schizophrenia and related disorders. Patients have reported disturbance in body image and poor self esteem due to weight gain leading to treatment non-adherence.
Aim: Assessment of psychometric properties of Tamil version of Body weight image self-esteem questionnaire (BWISE) in our population.
Background: Abnormal metabolism of dopamine and glutamate in schizophrenia induces oxidative stress that is exacerbated by brain glutathione (GSH) deficiency. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) increases brain GSH levels and is being used as an adjunctive agent in patients with schizophrenia. This open-label exploratory study in a naturalistic setting was conceived to examine the efficacy of NAC augmentation in treating negative syndrome in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Psychol Med
December 2015
Background: Early recognition of symptoms is important in the management of psychosis. Caregivers understanding and attribution of symptoms plays a major role in treatment selection.
Aim: The aim was to identify the various symptoms cluster recognized by caregivers at illness onset in first episode schizophrenia.
This study compares 20 subjects, in each of three different settings, with serious psychotic disorder (they meet inclusion criteria for schizophrenia) who hear voices, and compares their voice-hearing experience. We find that while there is much that is similar, there are notable differences in the kinds of voices that people seem to experience. In a California sample, people were more likely to describe their voices as intrusive unreal thoughts; in the South Indian sample, they were more likely to describe them as providing useful guidance; and in our West African sample, they were more likely to describe them as morally good and causally powerful.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Womens Ment Health
October 2015
Raloxifene augmentation in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia has shown promising results. Younger patients diagnosed as treatment-resistant schizophrenia and treated with raloxifene (120 mg/day) have reported significant improvement in symptoms. This case highlights how raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), can play a major role in alleviating positive and negative symptoms in postmenopausal women with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Psychiatry
February 2015
Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is not commonly reported by persons with schizophrenia unless an enquiry is made by a doctor or staff during routine clinical visits.
Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine reporting of drug-induced sexual side-effects and the attitude of the treating team in clarifying or detecting this issue.
Results: A vast majority of professionals (73.
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend to use amisulpride in the treatment of dysthymia and also as an adjunct treatment in patients with major depression. At low doses (50 mg), amisulpride preferentially blocks presynaptic auto receptors, enhances dopamine release, and therefore acts as a dopaminergic compound able to resolve the dopaminergic hypo activity that characterizes depression. Based on experimental data, amisulpride is the drug of choice for dopaminergic transmission disorders, both in depression and in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 5-hydroxy tryptamine transporter (5-HTT) gene has been previously implicated in lithium response, but the roles of the triallelic 5-HTT linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and variable number tandem repeats in the second intron [serotonin transporter intron 2 (STin2)] have not been reported. We examined these polymorphisms in 122 patients with bipolar I disorder, among which 49 patients were classified as good responders, 49 as nonresponders, and 24 as partial responders to lithium prophylaxis. We observed significant variation in the genotype frequencies of STin2 polymorphism among the response groups (P=0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Ordinal position the child holds within the sibling ranking of a family is related to intellectual functioning, personality, behavior, and development of psychopathology.
Aim: To study the association between birth order and development of psychopathology in patients attending psychiatry services in a teaching hospital.
Settings And Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study.
The estimated prevalence of alcohol misuse among Indian women is less than 5%. Misuse has been associated with the upper socio-economic classes, primitive tribal cultures and certain rural traditions. The problem of substance misuse in India has been underdiagnosed and underreported, but various health agencies and media reports suggest it is increasing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There are major health care implications of quality of life (QOL) and disability in long-standing disorders such as bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and recurrent depressive disorder (RDD).
Objectives: To compare the inter-episode QOL and disability in patients with the diagnosis of BAD or RDD in remission with and without comorbid chronic medical illness.
Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional assessments of the four groups were carried out.
Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry
November 2011
Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet
June 2008
Gene polymorphisms of the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the dopamine transporter (DAT1), Dopamine receptor exon 3 D4 variable number tandem repeat (DRD4VNTR), nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 4 subunit (CHRNA4) and serotonin transporter promoter (SLC6A4-5HTTLPR) are under consideration as potential risk factors for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A post-hoc attempt was made to investigate the association between the allelic variations of these candidate genes and retrospective parental report of response to methylphenidate in an ADHD-enriched, population-based twin sample. Subjects (N = 243) were selected from the twin sample based on parent report that the child had been treated with methylphenidate for ADHD symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA person with enteric fever who developed neuropsychiatric complication of catatonia after the fever subsided is presented. The catatonic symptoms were not associated with any depressive or psychotic symptoms. The relevant literature is discussed.
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