Dubai syndrome in Karachi

This is an attempt to study the effects of migration of earning member [to Gulf States] on the family, specially children left behind. Twenty five families who sought psychiatric help for one of their members were included. A control group [of non-migrant family] attending the out-patient's department was selected for comparison. The wife and children left behind experienced considerable emotional hardship. Twenty two families [88%] reported statistically significant recent maladjustment in 35 children [30%] as compared to control group of twelve families [48%] in 15 children [10%]. Undoubtedly the major brunt is faced by the wives but the damage done to children is much less appreciated. This study identifies the current disturbance but the future effects on the personality of other children could manifest much later

Alexithymia in Karachi

Alexithymia is a new term which usually means" no words for mood " and used to describe a disorder where patients have difficulty in expressing feelings in words. Such patients therefore express emotions in somatic terms. We have selected headache as a symptom to test the term Alexithymia. A group of thirty patients with the complaint of persistent headache of more than 6 months duration, without any organic pathology or neurological disease entity was taken. This study concludes that Alexithymic traits are not necessarily more prominent in those having psychophysiological symptoms specially tension headache. It also shows that we should not accept any new concept evolved in the west without testing it in our own conditions