ABSTRACT
Introduction: Delusional parasitosis (DP) is a form ofmonohypochondriacalpsychosis characterized by a feelingthat there are parasites crawling beneath the skin and is seen inrarely in psychiatric or primary carepractice. The disorder haspoor prognosis with a varied course and multiple relapses. Thepresent paper reports an analysis of 177 cases of delusionalparasitosis seen in a tertiary general hospital over the last 11years.Material and methods: The present study is an analysis of177 cases of DP that presented to the psychiatry departmentof a tertiary general hospital over the past 11 years and thedata has been analyzed using a semi-structured proforma anddescriptive statistics.Results: The mean age of the sample was 34.6 ± 21.3 yearsand the mean age of onset of the disorder was 28.3 ± 17.1years. The mean duration of illness of the sample was 3.9 ±10.3 years. 103 (58.19%) had a magnetic resonance imagingof the brain done which was within normal limits. 56(31.63%) patients had repeated neuroimaging investigationslike EEG, MRI and CT Scans done which were also all withinnormal limits. Most patients were treated with Risperidoneand Aripiprazole while few were treated with Pimozide,Haloperidol and Amisulpride. 43 (24.29%) patients received acourse of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as well in additionto medications.Conclusion: DP though rare is seen in clinical practice andfurther longitudinal studies are needed to establish withgreater certainty facts about the course and prognosis of thedisorder
ABSTRACT
There is little information on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the presence of glaucoma. An elderly man with known severe depression underwent surgery for cataract and glaucoma in the left eye. His depression worsened in the postoperative period and he required two sessions of ECT within 2 months of the surgery. There were no ophthalmic complications or adverse events associated with ECT and he responded well to treatment. Natl Med J India 2016;29:85–6
ABSTRACT
Abstract: This paper is a commentary on whether doctors have the right to strike work or not while keeping in mind, psychosocial and ethical implications of the same. Certain guidelines and criteria that may be applicable when examining doctors on strike are elucidated and discussed.