Symptomatic and general functioning in schizophrenic patients: five years follow up at outpatient department

To compare the level of global assessment of functioning and scores on PANSS of schizophrenic patients with 5years follow up. Descriptive observational study. This study was conducted at department of Psychiatry Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from March 2007 to May 2012. A sample of 44 patients diagnosed as schizophrenics were included through consecutive sampling. All patients were enrolled in SMI [i.e. Severe Mental Illness] they came for regular assessment once in a month. All patients were assessed on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] and Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF] at baseline and at five years follow up. Statistically significant difference was found between scores of PANSS and GAF at baseline and follow up. We concluded from our study that there is negative correlation between the score on PANSS and the level of GAF at baseline as well as at five years follow up

Beliefs and attitudes of family members towards patients suffering from conversion disorder

To evaluate the attitudes and beliefs of family members towards patients suffering from conversion disorder. Descriptive Cross Sectional study. Place and Duration of study: The study was carried out in Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital Bannu, Pakistan, from February to May 2013. Subjects and Methods: A consecutive sample of sixty patients, suffering from conversion disorder was approached for the study. Family members were interviewed, using the Urdu version of a questionnaire modified from that of short explanatory model interview [SEMI] by Jackob et al. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 15 using descriptive statistics. Among sixty family members interviewed 56[93.6%] were males, and 30% of them were uneducated. Clinical presentation in most of the patients was in the form of pseudo seizures. One third of the family members were of the view that conversion symptoms were precipitated by stressful events in the close environment. One third of the informants thought that some of the close relative's behavior was working as maintaining factor behind the mental illness. Most of the family members visited psychiatric facility at "other's" advice. Before contacting the nearby mental health facility most of patients were first taken to faith healers [87%]. Ninety percent of them did not agree with any form of punishment therapy for their patients. Majority of family members had reasonable awareness about the psychological nature of the problem. However they also believe in spiritual and super natural forces as causative factors behind the common psychiatric disorder

Frequency of religious themes in obsessive compulsive disorder

To assess the theme of religion on the symptomatology of obsessive compulsive disorder. This study was carried out at the Department of Psychiatry, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from October 2005 to March 2006. Those who satisfied DSM-III R criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder were included in the study. Those suffering from neurological illnesses or any other psychiatric illness were excluded from the study. Fifty Muslim patients [36 Males and 14 females] fulfilled the DSM-III R criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder. The mean age of the group was 25.87 +/- 7.39 and for the 1[st] onset of obsessive compulsive disorder was 21.36 +/- 8.21 years. Themes of obsessions and compulsions were religious [60%], contamination [28%], and order/ safety [20%], in decreasing order of frequency. This study reflects the role of religion which gives content to various obsessions and compulsions which may be helpful in early diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder in our culture. Further more the impact of these findings in term of psychological method of treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] could be significant in Islamic culture