Attiude of the university students and teachers towards mentally ill, in Lahore, Pakistan

Although, much is known about the attitudes and beliefs people hold towards mental illness in the west, no such work has been done in the developing countries. It is difficult to measure the attitudes of the general public in developing countries due to differences in terminology and concepts of the illness. However, majority of educated people in the developing countries can recognise common psychiatric disorders by their western names. We therefore, decided to measure attitudes of university students and teachers in Lahore, Pakistan. This study was carried out to assess the attitude of university students and teachers in Lahore, Pakistan. A survey form was circulated among the university students and the teachers in Lahore, Pakistan. Of the 300 survey forms 194 were returned. Majority of the respondents held negative attitudes towards people with schizophrenia, depression and drug and alcohol disorders. The views held by the university teachers and students reveal negative attitudes towards mentally ill. Attitudes of those who knew someone with mental illness were similar to those who did not

Post - traumatic stress disorder among the survivors of a bomb blast

To study the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among the survivors of a bomb blast which occurred in a religious gathering at Bhakkar. Design: A cross-sectional survey of the survivors. Setting: District Head Quarter Hospital, Bhakkar. Subjects: All of the survivors of the bomb blast who were still in hospital at the time of study. Main outcome measures: PTSD reaction index and revised impact of event scale. Out of 11 survivors studied 9 [82%] fulfilled the criteria for PTSD. Mean age of the victims was 23 years. PTSD was more common in patients who had witnessed the death of close relative or sustained injuries themselves. Conclusions: PTSD is common in this part of the world. There is a need to develop instruments and scales for use in Pakistan

Prescribing patterns in psychiatry out-door of Mayo hospital, Lahore

To investigate the prescribing patterns in Psychiatry out-door. Design: A descriptive survey of 100 prescriptions. Setting: Psychiatric out-patients department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. One hundred consecutive prescriptions from Psychiatry out-door. Main outcome measures: All prescriptions studied in detail on different parameters. Mean number of drugs per prescription was 2.12. Thirty patients were prescribed benzodiazepines. Tricyclic anti-depressants were being prescribed in sub-therapeutic doses. Routine prophylactic anticholinergic drugs were being prescribed to all patients receiving anti psychotics. Polypharmacy was not a major problem. Conclusions: There are many irrational practices identified in this study. It is hoped that feedback of the results of this study will lead to rational prescribing. Similar studies should be done in other psychiatry departments of Pakistan. It could be an important topic of regular audit

Obsessive compulsive disorder a study of 84 patients

To investigate the demographic characteristics of patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and to compare it with other neurotic disorders. Design: A retrospective survey of 84 psychiatric out-patients. Setting: Psychiatric out-patients department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Patients: Eighty four consecutive attenders of Psychiatry OPD fulfilling the DSM -III diagnostic criteria of obsessive compulsive disorder. Control group consisted of 84 patients suffering from neurotic disorders other than obsessive compulsive disorder. Main outcome measures: A detailed proforma was filled for each patient noting the demographic details. Majority of the obsessive compulsive patients were male. Incidence of obsessive compulsive disorder among psychiatric out-patients was 2.5%. Duration of symptoms was much longer in obsessive compulsives as compared to controls. Conclusions: Obsessive compulsive patients comprise of a considerable proportion of psychiatric outpatients. There are long delays before they attend for advice