ABSTRACT
Objective: the aim of our study is to determine the level of stress in young doctors categorizing it on yearly and specialty basis and also to determine personal factors like gender and marriage. So that we can counter this problem to improve patient care/ clinical management and finally health care delivery system
Material and Methods: across sectional survey of resident doctors in different specialties was conducted in Jinnah Hospital Lahore. The questionnaire we used i.e. AKUADS along with a proforma for the collection of data of the participants. AKUADS is a self-reporting scale in Urdu language which has been designed and validated for study in our population
Results: there were 200 postgraduate resident doctors of which 52 % male and 48 % female were recruited in the study. Mean age was 27 years; minimum age was 23 years, and maximum age was 36 years. Of the randomized data, 32 % 1st year resident, 24% 2nd year result, 33% and 3rd year, 11 % were 4th year. 56% were from medicine and allied and 44 % were from surgery and allied. In our participants who had scored less than 19 i.e. not suffering from depressive and anxiety symptoms on AKUADS were 58% [67.3% male and 47.9% female]. Participants scoring between 20 to 40 i.e. mild were 34% [25%male and 43.8% female]. Participants scoring between 41 to 60 i.e. moderate were 6% [7.7% male a d 4.2% female]. Participants scoring between 61 to 80 i.e. severe were 2% [0%male and 100% female]
Conclusions: frequency of high degree of anxiety and depressive symptoms can be considered as bad indicator of deteriorating health care system and need for urgent concern and action to change the current situation
ABSTRACT
Objective: to explore the ideas and attitudes of care givers towards patients suffering from schizophrenia with the help of survey form formulated after group discussion with a focus group of families, which was later used to gather information from a larger sample
Material and Methods: this study was conducted at Neuro Clinic, Johar Town, Lahore, over a, period of six months from March 2009 to August 2009. Rural as well as urban population is equally represented in sample. A focus group, comprising of ten patients and their care givers, who were attending for the last two years for follow-up participated in a group discussion and a survey form was formulated on the basis of this to explore the beliefs and attitudes of care givers of patients suffering from schizophrenia. In the next stage this form was used during the study period on all those care givers who consented to participate in the survey
Results: majority of care givers were females [82.6%] and had no formal education. Majority [almost 50%] of them believed in supernatural causes. Others believed in psychological factors [14%], physical as well as psychological [11 %], physical reasons alone [8.5%], physical and supernatural [7%], malingering [7%] and inheritance [2.8%]. Nearly 93% respondents believed -that treatment is possible in this illness; however there were variations in people's beliefs about treatment modality
Conclusion: nearly half of the study participants believed in non scientific and supernatural' muses of schizophrenia. There is a need to establish community based mental health services; that can impart psycho-eductional interventions at the level of community and families
ABSTRACT
This article has reviewed cultural variations in the presenting features of depression focusing on somatic symptoms as it has implications on diagnosis, treatment and remission. This article tries to bring out the importance and relevance of knowing sub cultural somatic idioms in modern day psychiatric practice