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.