Sociodemographic Profile and Pattern of Drug abuse among Patients Presenting to a Deaddiction Centre in rural area of Punjab.

Background: The issue of drug abuse is among the major problems of society. Especially among rural areas incidence of drug abuse is getting un-expectedly high. It is important to assess the current trends and pattern of drug abuse to help in more effective intervention. Materials and Methods: In this study 200 patients who presented to deaddiction centre for the purpose of seeking treatment were interviewed as per structured Performa regarding their sociodemographic profile and pattern of drug abuse. Results: The findings revealed that most common substance of abuse was bhukki (89.5%), followed by Tab. Lomotil (25%) and alcohol (19%). The mean amount of money spent per person was Rs.3886.32 (±634.56) per month. The reasons to start drug abuse, continuation and seeking treatment were also highlighted.

A Comparative Study of Temperament in Children of Patients Suffering from Depression in Comparison to Normal Controls.

Temperament is a very important aspect of functioning that needs to be understood in children of patients suffering from depression. It may be an early sign of vulnerability to the later development of depression. Early detection and early intervention in children of patients with depression are in premature state in India. The present study aimed to study the temperament characteristics in children of patients suffering from depression as compared to age and sex matched control sample. A case control study was conducted on children aged 4-16 years of patients with depression who presented to indoor and outdoor services of department of psychiatry in Lady Hardinge Medical College evaluating them on Temperament Measurement Schedule and comparing the outcome with children of healthy parents matched for age, sex, education, and socioeconomic status with the children of patients suffering from depression were found to show significantly lower threshold of responsiveness, lower approach withdrawal; they were low on sociability, low on mood, low on emotionality and lower activity ,intensity, energy and distractibility as compared to control. These children had lower mean score on the variable- Adaptability, Persistence and Rhythmicity although the difference was not found to be statistically significant.

A Study of Behavior in Children of Patients Suffering from Depression in Comparison to Normal Controls.

Only few data are available on prevalence of behavioural problems in children of parents with depression in India. Early detection and early intervention in children of patients with depression are yet to gain ground in India. The present study aimed to study the behavioural characteristics in children of patients suffering from depression and compare the above parameters with an age and sex matched control. A case control study was conducted on children aged 4-16 years of patients with depression who presented to indoor and outdoor services of department of psychiatry in Lady Hardinge Medical College evaluating them on behaviour checklist and comparing the outcome with children of healthy parents matched for age, sex, education, and socioeconomic status with the cases.The subjects in the test group showed greater scores (24.36 ± 6.353) on Child Behavior Checklist than control groups (6.48 ± 1.446) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (p< 0.05). Difference was also found to be statistically significant when male subjects and female subjects of the two groups were compared separately and on comparing by taking three arbitrary age groups i.e. 4-8 years, 9-12 years and 13-16 years.The study showed that children of patients suffering from depression had greater mean scores on Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) implying more behavioral difficulties as compared to the children of nondepressed parents.