Open Journal of Psychiatry & Allied Sciences, Formerly DYSPHRENIA

Permanent URI for this collection

https://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/172149

Editor-in-Chief: Shyamanta Das
ISSN: 2394-2053 (Print); 2394-2061 (Online)

Frequency: Half-yearly

Language: English

Open Access Peer-reviewed journal

Web site: https://www.ojpas.org/

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 49

Screening of depression and anxiety amongst resident doctors at a tertiary care hospital in Gujarat during the COVID-19 pandemic: an online survey
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Savani, C; Barot, CK.
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a public health emergency and has affected people in several domains including physical, financial, and psychological. Resident doctors have also suffered from psychological issues while working at the frontline to help the community. Aim: To screen for anxiety and depression among resident doctors of various departments involved/not involved in COVID-19 duty. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 175 resident doctors of various departments at a tertiary care hospital. They were screened for depression using the Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and for anxiety using a seven-item generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7). The study was conducted through an online survey using Google forms. Results: Out of 175 resident doctors, 15.42% were screened positive for depression requiring treatment and 15.42% for anxiety requiring further evaluation. Significant association was found between depression and presence of any kind of symptoms and psychiatric comorbidity, between anxiety and gender, presence of psychiatric comorbidity, and any kind of symptoms. Conclusion: Our study suggested elevated levels of anxiety and depression due to COVID-19 pandemic. This alarmed the need of early psychiatric intervention to help them cope with the issue.
A comparative study on sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients undergoing admission and readmission in a mental health institute
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Das, S; Mehta, S; Baruah, A; Sah, D.
Aims: Psychiatric patients have a high rate of readmission. So, we need to understand what kind of patients are more likely to be readmitted, to predict the clinical and social factors that place them at risk, and to identify potential limitations in existing healthcare delivery systems. Objective of the study was to find out and compare sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients getting first admission and readmission. Methods: It was a retrospective, record-based observational study from computerised database of the institute and the case record files of patients for one year. Variables like age, sex, religion, marital status, locality, education, occupation, and diagnosis were studied. Analysis was done by chi-square test using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. Results: The total number of admissions during this period was 876, among which 463 had been admitted previously in the institute and 60 had been admitted more than once in the time period. Among new admissions and readmissions, majority were unemployed, unmarried, Hindu males, 16-30 years of age, and had schizophrenia and related spectrum diagnosis (F20-F29). No significant difference in readmission rates were found for sex, marital status, religion, educational status, or locality. Readmission rates among housewives were seen less than expected. There were significant differences among different diagnoses in terms of readmission (p<0.001), with F30-F39 showing more than expected readmissions and F10-F19 showing more than expected first admission with less than expected readmissions. Conclusions: Current study reviews the scenario of mental healthcare utilisation. Decreased readmission rates of women and of patients with substance abuse disorders warrants further community-based research.
Mindfulness-based interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a focused review
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Khawas, A; Paul, A; Panda, S.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised alarm all over the world, whereby the mental health crisis is on the rise and people are in quest for resolution. So, the present review paper is an attempt to evaluate the previous work on mindfulness, and, its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness as a multidimensional construct teaches us to regulate our awareness of the present moment followed by an attitude of non-judgemental acceptance. This paradigm shift in the field of psychology has created wonders in psychotherapeutic practice. The current review aims to highlight the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of mindfulness as intervention that could reach every person, be it the COVID-19 sufferers or the COVID-19 warriors. It also provides an insight into the efficacy of mindfulness as an intervention itself or in adjunct to other psychotherapeutic treatments. Therefore, it calls forth the need to put mindfulness-based interventions during this pandemic situation.
Iatrogenic skin popper: tramadol dependence in a patient with no previous substance history
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Aggarwal, S; Kumar, K; Kumar, A; Sharma, S; Nayar, N; Upadhyay, K.
Tramadol, a synthetic codeine analogue having a weak ? receptor agonist action has been widely used for relief of mild to moderate pain. Most commonly, tramadol addiction or abuse is reported among doctors or people with previous history of drug abuse. However, rare cases of tramadol dependence have been described in patients without prior substance abuse history. We are describing one such case of a 35-year-old male who presented with history of using injection tramadol regularly for three years where there was no prior history of drug abuse but who was prescribed tramadol for medical reason. The frequency of one ampule of tramadol increased from once in two to three days to almost daily up to 12-14 ampules/day. The management was a serious challenge. We admitted the patient for inpatient detoxification. He required tramadol injections to manage his withdrawal symptoms, along with lorazepam and clonidine which were gradually tapered over a period of 14 days. This case highlights that tramadol dependence though very rare but still can happen in a patient without substance abuse history. Also, the physician should be aware of the abuse potential of tramadol and should keep in mind short and judicious prescription, and educating the person regarding the risk of abuse can help to minimise this debilitating and sometimes fatal addiction.
Dyadic adjustment and marital communication of persons with depression
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Kannekanti, P; Bhattacharjee, D; Ram, D; Pachori, H.
Background: One of the most important relationships between a man and a woman is marriage. Marriage is a social union as well as a legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is a primary institution of society. Marriage involves an emotional and legal commitment that is quite important in any adult life and even same in the persons with depression. Faulty marital relationship not only affects the couples but it inflicts longitudinal negative impact upon the entire family system and individual members of families. Methodology: The present study aims to compare the pattern of dyadic adjustment and marital communication between married individuals with depression and married healthy controls. Cross-sectional study design was used. Purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data for the study. The study group comprised of 30 married individuals with depression, whereas the other group consisted of 30 married healthy controls. Both the groups were examined on sociodemographic datasheet, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and the Marital Communication Inventory (MCI). Result: It was found that there were significant differences in the dyadic adjustment and marital communication of persons with depression compared to healthy controls, and there was no significant difference between males and females of depression patients in dyadic adjustment and marital communication. Conclusion: There is need to involve the spouse in the treatment process, and couple-based interventions will help for better marital adjustment and communication with depression patients compared to the healthy controls.
Assessing burden and its determinants in caregivers of chronic kidney disease patients undergoing haemodialysis
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Joseph, SJ; Bhandari, SS; Dutta, S; Khatri, D; Upadhyay, A.
Background: Caregivers face a lot of adversities while supporting their near ones undergoing haemodialysis, and their burden is often ignored by health professionals. The paucity of research in the Indian context has kept their needs out of sight. Aim: To explore the level of burden in the caregivers of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing haemodialysis and to assess whether patient related variable affects the burden. Methods: Fifty-one patients and their caregivers from two dialysis units in Sikkim, India, were assessed cross-sectionally. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS) was administered to measure the caregiver burden. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Charlson’s Comorbidity Index (CCI) assessed the patient’s depression and medical comorbidities, respectively. Descriptive analysis was done for the sociodemographic and clinical variables. Chi-square test was used to find the association between the categorical data. Kruskal-Wallis tested the association between categorical and quantitative variables. Results: Mean age of patient was 46.13 (±13.15) years and that of the caregiver was 44.78 (±12.14) years. 68.6% of caregivers had mild to severe levels of caregiver burden. Caregivers who were unemployed and educated till secondary school were more likely to report caregiver burden. Female gender, older caregivers, and caregivers attending patients with a longer history of haemodialysis reported a more severe burden. Conclusion: The level of burden in caregivers of CKD patients is significant and is affected by various factors, which, in turn, also affects patient’s wellbeing. Further research in this area is needed in our country for better management of patients and policymaking.
Verbal learning in schizophrenia in remission, first-degree relatives, and correlation to symptoms
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Chattopadhyay, S; Singh, OP; Ghosh, S.
Background: Cognitive impairments are fundamental in schizophrenia with verbal memory impairments commonly occurring not only in patients but also in unaffected genetically susceptible individuals. Deficits in verbal memory produce difficulty in problem-solving, emotional distress, and worsening of daily life skills resulting in a poor quality of life. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the verbal memory in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients of schizophrenia in comparison to healthy controls as well as patients of schizophrenia in remission and to find correlation to symptom domains. Methods: It was a hospital-based, descriptive, cross-sectional case-control study. Three groups (n=40, each group) of patients, first-degree relatives, and controls were taken. Subjects were screened for mental retardation and remission was ascertained in the patient group by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Rye’s Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVL) test was used to assess verbal leaning. Results: Verbal memory impairments were significant both in patients and unaffected first-degree relatives. Further, these impairments showed a strong correlation to negative symptoms. Conclusion: Significant (p<0.05) verbal learning impairments were noted in patients and first-degree relatives which showed a correlation to negative symptoms.
Pattern of internet use, anxiety, and depression among professional students of Tripura, India: an analysis
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Ghosh, S; Bhattacharjee, A.
Introduction: In this era of technology we cannot imagine our lives without internet. However, excessive internet use may bring curse in life. Aims and objectives: The present study was an attempt to examine the pattern and prevalence of internet use among medical and engineering students. It was also aimed at comparing pattern of internet use, anxiety, and depression of professional students. Further, it was also intended to study the level of anxiety and depression across the subgroups of internet users. Methodology: The study was carried out among 1100 professional students, selected randomly from five institutions of Tripura, India. Out of 1100 students, 659 were medial students and 441 were engineering students. All of them were in the age group of 18-25 years. Internet Addiction Test, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used for assessing pattern of internet use, anxiety, and depression respectively among the professional students. Data was collected from the subjects following group administration method and was analysed quantitatively with the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25 (SPSS v25). Results: The prevalence of excessive internet use among professional students of Tripura was 7.4%. Medical and engineering students did not differ significantly with respect to their pattern of internet use (except ‘average’ use of internet), anxiety, and depression. However, a significant difference in each of anxiety and depression had been noted across the different patterns of internet use of the study subjects.
An exploration of psychological distress and stigma in frontline workers amidst COVID-19 from Andhra Pradesh, India
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Das, K; R, Bhavya Sree; C, Madhu Sekhar.
Background: Time has evidenced the impact of various pandemics on the human race, and specifically the impact on the healthcare workforce assigned to the forefront. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought in similar challenges across the globe, and also nationally. Mental health-related distress endured during these trying times in special forces remains an area of interest, but additionally we saw the reports of stigmatisation of healthcare workers working in COVID-19 areas. We aimed to explore the psychological distress and stigma faced by frontline workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. Materials and methods: Data was collected via specially designed Google survey forms, with a consent form and valid tools attached, namely the General Health Questionnaire-12 and a semi-structured questionnaire exploring stigma. Total of 321 nurses, interns, postgraduate trainees, and consultants working in COVID-19 were included in the study. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 with descriptive (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential (chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests) statistics. Results: Young, unmarried males who have done COVID-19 duties for seven days, majority serving in screening areas and having experienced COVID-19-like symptoms formed the larger sample. Younger age, unmarried, females, nursing staff were significantly found to have distress. Prevalence of stigma was noted with significant association of distress with anxiety over testing, discrimination for working in a COVID-19 centre, being afraid to reveal COVID-19-like symptoms, being disliked for living among family and friends post-quarantine. Conclusion: Majority were less than 30 years, unmarried, female who had significant association between psychological distress. Stigma was reported with association to psychological distress.
His Master Voice
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Das, Himabrata.
In this free-flowing conversation with the Open Journal of Psychiatry & Allied Sciences (OJPAS®), the stalwart Dr. HR Phookun speaks about how the ongoing pandemic is changing the world we live in and the major challenges for mental health professionals arising out of this crisis. He also discusses his experience of taking online classes and predicts a larger role that technology will play in the delivery of mental health services.
Mental health professionals as ‘silent frontline healthcare workers’: perspectives from three South Asian countries
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Shoib, S; Gupta, AK; Ahmad, W; Joseph, SJ; Bhandari, SS.
Mental health professionals across the globe foresaw the mental health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. They have faced scarcity of trained professionals, rising morbidities, lack of protective gear, shortage of psychotropic drugs, and poor rapport building due to masking and social distancing. Amidst all, they have responded with approaches that focus on continuing mental health services to the patients already in care, education of the vulnerable people to help them cope with these stressors, and provide counselling services to patients and families affected by the pandemic.
Economic hardships during pandemics and its impact on mental health: a narrative review with special focus on the COVID-19 pandemic
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Patchaikannu, G.
Economic crisis during pandemics has an obviously significant impact on the mental health of people. The uncertainty of economic conditions leaves people uncertain about their future, and, would trigger mental health conditions like stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, and also, re-emergence of pre-existing mental health issues. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created job losses in various sectors and, the rise in unemployment will be an unavoidable consequence. Literature has pointed out to the causal relationship between unemployment and depression. Suicidal behaviour during the economic crisis is a significant psychological issue. Poor financial conditions could also affect children’s mental health due to disruption in the availability of nutrition and essential commodities, mental health issues in parents, and poor quality of parenting. The increase in alcohol consumption and the grey-market of alcohol noted in the time of COVID-19 pandemic are of utmost concern. Active labour market programmes are the need of the hour due to the rising unemployment rate. Family support programmes and debt relief programmes could help vulnerable families, and, prevent mental health issues in vulnerable groups, including the child and adolescent age groups. Strict control over the grey-market of alcohol, and, an increase in alcohol prices via government agencies would help prevent alcohol-related problems which are indirectly related to economic burden. Teleconsultation services would further help to manage those affected by the economic crisis and psychological issues.
Severity of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate health science students in Abha, Saudi Arabia
(Academy Publisher, 2021-12) Alshloul, MN; Bdair, IA; Alalyani, MM.
Background and aims: The medical education process is perceived to be challenging and stressful, posing a danger to the lives of university students, leading to physical, psychosocial health issues and low academic achievement. This study aims to determine the level of depression, anxiety, and stress, and associated factors among undergraduate health science students in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at health science departments in Al-Ghad International Colleges (GIC) and King Khalid University (KKU). A pretested self-administered questionnaire was completed by a convenient sample of 350 students. The Scale 21 (DASS-21) inventory of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress was used. Results: There were 60% female and 40% male students in the study. Most students reported mild to extremely severe symptoms of depression (47.2%), anxiety (56%), and stress (39.1%). KKU students displayed more depression (52%) than GIC students (42.3%) with a statistically significant difference (p=0.026). The findings showed that the relationship between depression and anxiety (r=0.781, p<0.01), depression and stress (r=0.693, p<0.01), stress and anxiety (r=o.794, p<0.01) was positive. A study found that depression, anxiety, and stress scores were significantly higher among female and second-year and below students. Conclusions: It can be inferred that among health science students, depression, anxiety, and stress are prevalent. It is critical to improve mental health among undergraduate students. The results suggest that psychological problem assessment and therapy services for undergraduate students should be implemented. We suggest more research studies to get a better understanding of the experience of students with psychological problems based on the study outcomes.
Personality and coping styles in medical internees: a cross-sectional study
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Kulkarni, H; CY, S; Begum, S.
Background and aims: Medical education is an elaborate course requiring knowledge assimilation, skill development, and academic perfection. Emerging out of the course successfully is a strenuous process which tests students’ psychological domains like personality, coping skills, and so on. The present study was planned with this primary objective of assessing the personality traits, psychoactive-substance use, and coping skills in the medical students and the secondary objective of finding the impact of personality and psychoactive-substance use on coping styles. Methods: The study was conducted on internees, recruited on individual approach over a period of one year. Ethical clearance was taken. Consenting candidates were administered sociodemographic proforma, the Eysenck Personality Inventory, and the coping checklist. Pearson’s correlation and independent t-test were used for analysis. Results: A total of 167 internees took part in study. On personality assessment, mean score of extraversion was 12.56 (±3.78) suggesting ambiversion and neuroticism was 9.36 (±4.89) suggesting mixed neurotic traits. Thirty four (20%) used psychoactive-substance. Problem-solving, distraction-positive, and acceptance-redefinition were frequently used coping styles. Extraversion correlated positively with distraction-negative (p<0.01) and negatively with acceptance-redefinition (p=0.03). Neuroticism had significant positive correlation with problem-solving (p=0.03), distraction-positive (p<0.01), distraction-negative (p<0.01), faith-religion coping (p<0.001), and blame-denial coping (p<0.001). On gender-wise assessment, males used more of distraction-negative (p=0.02) and females used more of faith-religion coping styles (p=0.02). Psychoactive-substance users elaborated more of distraction-negative and less of acceptance-redefinition coping. Conclusion: Internees had ambiversion and mixed neurotic personality traits. Their personality and substance use had significant influence on the types of coping styles used. There is need of training to effectively manage stress using appropriate coping strategies based on their personality.
Knowledge of hand cleanliness among medical students and nurses at tertiary healthcare centre: a cross-sectional study
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Mahanta, B; Das, DK; Borah, P; Mahanta, P; Dutta, M.
Background: Hand hygiene is documented as one of the foremost techniques to prevent cross-transmission of germs. Objectives: This paper aims to assess the knowledge of hand cleanliness among medical students and working nurses. Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study, carried over a sample selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique. The questionnaire used here to assess the knowledge and practice on hand hygiene was adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. The data thus collected were presented in terms of counts and percentages. Chi-square test was used to test the significance of the differences, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Overall, 92.08% of participants have received training in handwashing. Twenty-five (41.60%) medical students believed that the microbes already present with the patient were responsible for hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Medical students had significantly higher knowledge than working nurses regarding dryness of skin due to hand rubbing over handwashing (p<0.05). Medical students also had substantially higher awareness about the performance of handwashing and hand rubbing in sequence (p<0.05), which they think was not right. Knowledge on the colonisation of hands with harmful microbes was more with the nurses. Conclusion: There is a need to increase awareness among medical students and nurses regarding procedural hand hygiene methods to prevent HAI. The current findings can be a basis for conducting a training programme on hand hygiene practices for the medical students, including paramedical staff members.
An online cross-sectional study of the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 lockdown on general population of Haryana, India
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Srivastava, P; Madan, A; Chahal, S; Aggarwal, A.
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only posed serious medical challenges but also significant psychological, social, and economic challenges acutely as well as in the long-term. There is evidence that this pandemic has caused intense psychological distress among people which is further likely to get compounded by administrative decision of nationwide lockdown. Aim: To determine the psychosocial impact of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on the general population of Haryana, India. Method: It was an online cross-sectional study conducted on the general population of Haryana from 15th April to 5th May 2020 using a snowball sampling technique. A pre-tested, self-designed questionnaire comprising three sections, viz. sociodemographic characteristics, general life during lockdown, and psychological impact, was prepared using google forms and the link was sent to the participants through social media. Results: A total of 640 participants responded to the survey within the stipulated time. The most common depressive symptoms were insomnia (56%) followed by hopelessness (45%) and irritability (36%). Hypochondriacal preoccupation and obsessional ruminations were present in 87% and 23% of the respondents respectively. Twenty seven per cent of the people experienced autonomic symptoms of anxiety. Fear of death due to COVID (68.4%) and excessive COVID-related information being circulated through news and social media (26.2%) generated maximum stress. They coped with this stress by engaging themselves with television (TV)/social media (57%) and physical exercises (48.4%). Social life followed by professional life was the most affected facet of life. Lockdown had adversely affected the family bond in one per cent of the participants. Conclusion: The study concludes that lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse psychosocial impact on the general population of Haryana resulting in a magnitude of psychological issues.
A cross-sectional study of attitude towards psychiatry among undergraduate medical students
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) BK, Shiva, Kumar; B, Neeraj, Raj; HR, Vinay.
Background: Psychiatric disorders are common, affecting millions of population worldwide. Patients with psychiatric disorders, psychiatrists as professionals, and psychiatry as a subject are seen in negative attitudes. Prejudices and negative attitudes exist among medical professionals as well. Aims: This study aims to know the attitude of undergraduate medical students towards psychiatry and compare the attitude among students with or without exposure to clinical psychiatry postings. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted at a medical college, Karnataka, South India. Undergraduate students belonging to all phases and consenting for the study were the participants. They were considered into two groups, students not exposed to psychiatry clinical posting and students exposed to psychiatry clinical postings, respectively. Apart from collecting sociodemographic details, a self-administered Attitude Towards Psychiatry?30 items questionnaire was used and t-test, chi-square/Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical analyses. Result: The sample consisted of 484 students, of which 52.3% vs 47.7% of students were not exposed to psychiatry vs exposed to psychiatry clinical postings respectively. Overall students reported having a positive attitude towards psychiatry. We found 96.1% of students with clinical exposure to psychiatry have a better attitude compared to 86.9% of students not exposed to psychiatry clinical postings. Conclusion: A positive attitude towards psychiatry is necessary for better care of patients as well as to reduce stigma regarding mental illness. As clinical exposure improves the positive attitude, there is always a scope for improvements in the form of better psychiatry training at the undergraduate level.
Profile of distress callers and service utilisation of tele-counselling among the population of Assam, India: an exploratory study during COVID-19
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Hazarika, M; Das, B; Das, S; Baruah, A; Sharma, N; Barua, C; Das, J; Choudhury, S; Hazarika, D; Sarma, P; Bhandari, SS.
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people globally by causing psychological, social, and economic chaos. The Assam Police, India started telephone helplines to address the psychological issues. Aims: To evaluate the sociodemographic profile of the distress callers, their psychosocial concerns, the interventions provided by the service provider, and whether the service users were satisfied with the intervention(s) or not. Method: It was a cross-sectional study done during the period of lockdown (7-24 April 2020). All the callers who called the helpline were screened for anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts (when required), and the psychosocial issues which they were facing were explored. They were provided the psychological intervention(s) at the appropriate time, and they were asked to rate their experience at the end. Results: A total of 239 callers used the tele-counselling services. The majority of callers were male (79.1%). Most of the callers were between 19-35 years of age group (66.5%), married (52.5%), and graduates (31%). Two-thirds of the callers called to seek guidance for their own issues and one-third for their relatives or friends. Callers had anxiety (46%), depressive disorder (8.3%), and depressive symptoms not qualifying for depressive disorder (14%), and suicidal thoughts (5.44%). The commonest intervention provided to the callers was supportive (77.8%), followed by psychoeducation (30.5%), cognitive behaviour therapy (24.7%), relaxation (23.6%) and behaviour therapy (13.4%). Most of the callers utilised more than one type of therapy. Overall, most of the callers were satisfied and appreciated the tele-counselling services. Conclusion: The findings could help in formulating psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups in the post-COVID-19 period to reduce psychiatric morbidity and mortality.
Post-outbreak psychosocial “needs” of the public in the COVID-19 era
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Ventriglio, A; Bellomo, A; Joseph, SJ; Bhugra, D.
The current pandemic has caused a major impact on lives of people all over the globe. Understanding the psychosocial needs of the public and the key defense mechanisms used during this time, is essential to deal with the repercussions of this unprecedented global disaster. This would help in addressing psychological issues and managing them effectively, before it becomes too late for recovery and rehabilitation.
Comparison of attitudes toward psychiatry among undergraduate and postgraduate medical students
(Academy Publisher, 2021-06) Ghosh, P; Doley, M; Dutta, N; Bhattacharya, A.
Introduction: Attitudes toward psychiatry among medical students will have a great impact on future of expanding psychiatry and breaking barriers at multiple levels. Aims: To assess and compare the attitudes of undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical students toward psychiatry and assess association between sociodemographic variables and attitudes toward mental illness. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary health care centre, total of 100 (50 UG and 50 PG) medical students were recruited in the study. A standardised questionnaire, Attitudes Toward Psychiatry-30 items (ATP-30) and semi-structured proforma for sociodemographic details were given to study subjects to fill up. Statistical analysis: Both quantitative and qualitative measures of data were calculated. Statistical significance was kept at p-value of <0.05, using Fisher’s exact test and Chi-square test. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: The overall ATP-30 score responses were positive (>90) in both males (88%) and females (62%). More number of positive responses were seen in both UG (68%) and PG (84%) medical students compared to only some negative responses in UG (22%) and PG (16%). This difference is significant at p-value <0.05. There is a significant difference (p-value <0.05) in attitudes among UG and PG students in item number four revealing 32% PGs wish was to be psychiatrist. Majority of the UGs and PGs agreed that UG psychiatric training is valuable. Conclusion: We have found overall good attitudes toward psychiatry in the study population but conflicting interest in taking psychiatry as career choice.

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