Attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry in QMC [Bahawalpur] Pakistan

The present study is a comprehensive investigation of the attitude toward psychiatry from Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur [Pakistan]. A total of 538 students were studied using a 50-item Scale [ATP 30]. Responses of the students were collected from classes of 1st year and 4th year and a comparison was calculated on year wise and gender wise basis. The results are presented and discussed

update on management of schizophrenia

The conventional anti psychotic agents have been associated with a number of problems. Perhaps most importantly, they produce a relatively high incidence of neurologic adverse effects ranging from acute dystonia to akathesia and akinesia, and more infrequent [but much more serious] effects such as tardive dyskinesia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Current review addresses various atypical antipsychotics with reference to receptor affinity, therapeutic effects and side effect profile

Treatment of post withdrawal depressive symptoms in detoxified heroin addicts with fluoxetine and naltrexone maintenance

Depression is a common phenomenon which might lead to early relapse in the first few weeks after opiate detoxification. There is strong evidence that depression is related to the central nervous serotonin system. To prove the hypothesis of the impact of serotonin in depressive detoxified addicts, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor in the after care was used. In a prospective, open clinical trial, forty detoxified opiate addict males were randomly assigned to two groups receiving either 50mg naltrexone alone or with fluoxetine 20mg. After 30 days, the depression score was significantly lower in the floxetine group, but the incidence of continued opiate intake remained higher in this group. However, the additional naloxone provocation test did not lead to withdrawal signs, proving the naltrexone maintenance