Safety and effectiveness of divalproex sodium extended release containing regimen in Indian patients with bipolar I disorder in continuation phase: Results of EASED registry.

The study was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of divalproex sodium XR containing regimen in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) who are in continuation phase. It was an open-label, prospective, observational study conducted from July 2010 to December 2011 at 48 sites across India. Adult patients with bipolar I disorder of manic or mixed type fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria and who were in the continuation phase were included. Safety (primary outcome) was assessed by incidence of treatment emergent adverse events (AEs). Effectiveness (secondary outcome), was evaluated by proportion of patients who did not have a relapse, change in Clinical Global Impression Score-BP version-Severity of Illness (CGI-BP) and Young's Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score. Data was recorded at three visits: visit-1 (baseline), visit-2 (end of 2 months ± 7 days) and visit-3 (end of 4 months ± 14 days), and summarised using descriptive statistics. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 489 and 468 patients were included in the safety and effectiveness analyses, respectively. Of the 66 AEs reported, 57 (89.0%) were mild and 7 (10.9%) were moderate (data missing for 2 events). In total, 75.0% (48/64) of the AEs were related to the study drug. No serious AEs reported (N=64). No relapse observed in 93.3% of patients. There was a significant (p<0.0001) reduction in the YMRS and CGI-BP scores from baseline to visit-3. Our study confirms the results of earlier studies in terms of good tolerability and effectiveness of divalproex sodium XR containing regimen in this study population.

Violence against women.

Violence against women (VAW) is a major public health problem in the country. The problem is grossly under-reported. A number of factors have been blamed for crimes against women. An inefficient law enforcing machinery has often been targeted for the increasing number of cases being reported. There is little recognition that psychiatric morbidity can perpetuate such crimes. Of late, there appears to a continuous increase in the number of crimes committed against women; especially the very serious ones like gang rapes. The latter have shaken the very conscience of people. Even harsher legislation does not seem to have made any effect. One wonders how this could be possible in a society heading toward high education, economic and technological development. Media has played a pivotal role by highlighting the problem to the masses. The need for the hour is for mental health professionals to take the challenge and present a comprehensive proposal for definite action to prevent all forms of VAW.

Pasi and pqol-12 score in psoriasis: is there any correlation?

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis, a common papulo-squamous disorder of the skin, is universal in occurrence and may interfere with the quality of life adversely. Whether extent of the disease has any bearing upon the patients' psychology has not much been studied in this part of the world. AIMS: The objective of this hospital-based cross-sectional study was to assess the disease severity objectively using Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and the quality of life by Psoriasis quality-of-life questionnaire-12 (PQOL-12) and to draw correlation between them, if any. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PASI score denotes an objective method of scoring severity of psoriasis, reflecting not only the body surface area but also erythema, induration and scaling. The PQOL-12 represents a 12-item self-administered, disease-specific psychometric instrument created to specifically assess quality-of-life issues that are more important with psoriasis patients.PASI and PQOL-12 score were calculated in each patient for objectively assessing their disease severity and quality of life. RESULTS: In total, 34 psoriasis patients (16 males, 18 females), of age ranging from 8 to 55 years, were studied. Maximum and minimum PASI scores were 0.8 and 32.8, respectively, whereas maximum and minimum PQOL-12 scores were 4 and 120, respectively. PASI and PQOL-12 values showed minimal positive correlation (r = +0.422). CONCLUSION: Disease severity of psoriasis had no direct reflection upon their quality of life. Limited psoriasis on visible area may also have greater impact on mental health.