Narrative exposure therapy for the treatment of trauma-related symptoms among adolescent survivors of sex trafficking: A pilot study.

Background: India is home to 14 million survivors of human trafficking, with most being trafficked for sexual exploitation. Trafficking constitutes crimes that violate the rights of survivors, and despite its psychological consequences, there is little evidence-based guidance to meet the needs of these individuals.

Aim: The current study aimed to examine the outcome of narrative exposure therapy (KIDNET) among adolescent survivors of sex trafficking in improving trauma-related symptoms, along with psychological distress, dissociation, depression, and anxiety.

The Role of Social Cognition in Depression and Its Relationship to Early Maladaptive Schemas.

Background: Social cognition is the capacity to detect, comprehend, and evaluate environmentally relevant information and serves as a critical skill for effective interpersonal functioning. A significant clinical characteristic of depressive illness is the impairment in social and interpersonal functioning. Given the increasing prevalence of interpersonal difficulties among individuals with depression, it is crucial to get a greater insight into the underlying cognitive mechanisms leading to these social deficits.

Safety and Efficacy of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Management of Emotional Dysregulation in Children and Adolescents with Externalizing Behavior Disorders: Protocol of a Transdiagnostic Sham Controlled fMRI Study.

Background: High-frequency deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been known to be effective in modulating emotional experience but not studied in children and adolescents with externalizing behavior disorders (EBDs). We present a novel protocol for a study that aims to assess the safety and efficacy of adjuvant dTMS in managing emotional dysregulation in EBDs in children and adolescents.

Methods: The trial is prospectively registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) at www.

Mental Health Issues and Psychosocial Contexts in CICL Children Versus Non-CICL Children: A Comparative Study.

Background: Children in conflict with law (CICL) is an emerging issue in the contemporary world. Children between the ages of 12 years and 18 years are the most productive age group, but some children may develop behaviors that are undesirable to society by violating laws. The mental health and associated psychosocial factors of such children are lacking in India.

Solution-focused Brief Psychological Intervention in Alteration of Compulsive Buying Behavior in an Individual with Compulsive Buying Disorder: A Case Report.

Background: Compulsive buying (CB) presents itself with uncontrollable or excessive urges and preoccupations with behaviors related to spending money that have detrimental consequences. Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) can result in remorse and regret over purchases, guilt, shame, issues with finances, and interpersonal difficulties. Despite the growing understanding of the phenomenology of CBD, only some evidence-based therapies have been developed that cater to the concerns within a limited time frame.

Psychosocial Consequences Among Witch-hunting Survivors: A Qualitative Study from Jharkhand, India.

Background: Witch-hunting is an evil practice and part of the culture of many marginalized groups in India and globally. The unethical ways of barbarity against women happening in the name of the witch-hunting practice is another face of gender-based discrimination against women who are denied basic living rights. This study aims to understand the psychosocial consequences experienced by witch-hunting survivors.

A Cognitive Approach to Maladaptive Daydreaming.

Background Of The Study: Maladaptive daydreaming (MDD) is a mental activity that develops from unconscious material but differs from normal daydreaming in terms of experience, content, quantity, control, distress, and interference with everyday living. Dreaming often involves fantasizing about an idealized self, which includes motifs of companionship, romance, and compensatory scripts like power, escape, and rescue. The MDD is understood as a form of unusual imagination that is vivid and addictive but impedes academic and occupational responsibilities.

Effectiveness of adjunctive task-centered case work to pharmacotherapy and motivational enhancement therapy among frequently relapsing patients with alcohol dependence syndrome.

Background: Individuals experiencing alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) may struggle with relapse due to various factors, even after receiving successful inpatient treatment. While motivation enhancement therapy (MET) and pharmacotherapy are commonly used interventions for ADS, incorporating task-centered casework (TCP) - a nondirective, goal-oriented, and time-limited approach - may yield promising outcomes.

Aim: This study examined the effects of adjunctive TCP in conjunction with pharmacotherapy and MET on frequently relapsing patients with ADS.

Dual diagnosis and their care pathways for help-seeking: A multicenter study from India.

Background: Understanding pathways to dual diagnosis (DD) care will help organize DD services and facilitate training and referral across healthcare sectors.

Aim: The aim of our study was to characterize the stepwise healthcare and other contacts among patients with DD, compare the characteristics of the first contact persons with common mental disorder (CMD) versus severe mental illness (SMI), and estimate the likelihood of receiving appropriate DD treatment across levels of contacts.

Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study in eight Indian centers included newly enrolled patients with DD between April 2022 and February 2023.

Exploring help-seeking pathways and disparities in substance use disorder care in India: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity in the population. In low- and medium-income countries like India, there is a wide treatment gap for SUD. A multicentric study on the care pathways for SUD in India can help to understand service provision, service utilization, and challenges to improve existing SUD care in India.

Brain-region specific autism prediction from electroencephalogram signals using graph convolution neural network.

Background: Brain variations are responsible for developmental impairments, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EEG signals efficiently detect neurological conditions by revealing crucial information about brain function abnormalities.

Objective: This study aims to utilize EEG data collected from both autistic and typically developing children to investigate the potential of a Graph Convolutional Neural Network (GCNN) in predicting ASD based on neurological abnormalities revealed through EEG signals.

The Tamil Version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18V2: Reliability and Factor Structure Among Persons with Schizophrenia.

Background: Persons with schizophrenia (PwS) are vulnerable to developing disordered eating behaviors. However, standardized tools to assess disordered eating patterns are unavailable in the regional language, Tamil. Different versions of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) have been used to measure disordered eating patterns among PwS worldwide.

Tobacco Imagery in Movies and Web Series Streaming in India and Their Compliance With the Recent Anti-tobacco Rules for Over-the-Top (OTT) Platforms.

Introduction: Internet access, smartphones, and televisions have significantly boosted over-the-top (OTT) movies and web series viewing in India, especially among youths. Despite restrictions, OTT platforms continue to promote tobacco products. India has recently enforced the revised OTT Rules 2023 effective September 1, 2023, to counter tobacco promotion in OTT shows.

Nerve Growth Factor in Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review.

Background: Neurotrophins have been implicated in multiple psychiatric disorders. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is one of the major neurotrophins that has attracted much research interest. Therefore, we undertook, to the best of our knowledge, the first scoping review encompassing all major psychiatric disorders and their relation to NGF.

Resting state and activated brain glutamate-glutamine, brain lactate, cognition, and psychopathology among males with schizophrenia: A 3 Tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic (1H-MRS) study.

Background: Research on glutamate (Glu) in schizophrenia has so far been inconclusive. Based on preclinical studies on Glu lactate interaction, researchers have now focused on brain lactate level as a sign of major pathology, including cognitive dysfunctions in the brain. Our study aimed to examine changes at resting and activated states in brain lactate and Glu-glutamine (Glx) at the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in schizophrenia.

Validation of social cognition and interaction training's (SCIT) videos and photographs in Indian setting.

Background: Social cognition deficit is one of the marked characteristics of schizophrenia. Accumulated evidence suggests that social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) is associated with improved performance in social cognition and social skills in patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders. The cultural influence on social cognition is quite considerable.

High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation-Primed Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Controlled Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HDtDCS) priming improves the efficacy of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) in improving TRD.

Methodology: A prospective hospital-based, randomized control study where the participants were divided into active or sham HDtDCS-primed iTBS stimulation groups for a total of 10 sessions and were assessed on clinical parameters at baseline, end of week 1, and end of week 2 was done. Primary outcome of the study was the difference in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores over 2 weeks of HDtDCS-primed iTBS.