Suicide prevention in the context of COVID-19: An Indian perspective.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the health and wellbeing of communities worldwide. Measures to limit transmission, have enhanced vulnerability of individuals to well identified risk factors associated with mental illness and suicide. These include a sense of loneliness, anxiety, depression, insomnia, PTSD, harmful alcohol and drug use. Given that the potential for increased rates of suicide persist, the suicide prevention agenda remains urgent and essential. The same is one of the cornerstones of resilience in a society that is facing an array of challenges due to the pandemic. In this article, we recommend few possible strategies for attenuating suicide risk amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with particular relevance to the Indian context.

Barriers in Accessing Social Welfare Benefits for Families of Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disorders in Rural Karnataka: A Situation Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several government schemes exist for the welfare of families having children with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDDs) in India. However, these schemes are often not utilized. An understanding of the barriers to access these social welfare benefits, especially in rural areas of India, can aid in planning social action toward the implementation of these schemes. METHODS: A situation analysis of the resources and potential barriers to access social welfare benefits for families of children with IDD was conducted in a rural community. Stakeholder interviews were conducted with families of children with IDD (n = 20), government officials responsible for implementing education at the state level (n = 5), local officials responsible for facilitating social welfare benefits (n = 5), and nongovernmental organization (NGO) working in the area of children with IDD (n = 3). Qualitative thematic analysis was used to understand the barriers to access social welfare benefits for the families of children with IDD. RESULTS: Barriers encountered by families of children with IDD, local officials, and NGOs included lack of awareness about the available welfare schemes, unavailability of social welfare facilities in the local areas, lack of social auditing in the provision of social welfare schemes to the needy, and stringent process of application and regulation for financial aid under the National Trust schemes. CONCLUSION: There are multiple barriers to access social welfare benefits for families having children with IDD in rural Karnataka. There is a strong need to empower families, sensitize local officials, and advocate for social policies to effectively implement National Trust schemes in rural areas of Karnataka.

Prevalence and predictors of metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls: A study in rural South Indian population.

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been extensively studied as a co-morbidity in patients with schizophrenia. A disparity is noted between hospital and community based estimates in India. We aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of MetS in schizophrenia patients and general population controls in a rural population in South India. METHODS: Patients (n=157) and general population controls (n=263) were recruited from a rural area in South India. Diagnosis of MetS was established using International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Patients were also assessed on clinical parameters, treatment details, dietary and physical activity patterns. Predictors of MetS were estimated based on subgrouping of patients with and without MetS. RESULTS: 50 (31.8%) of the patients and 76 (28.9%) of the controls were diagnosed to have MetS. Female gender and ongoing antipsychotic exposure were noted to be significant predictors of MetS with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 2.87 (1.2-6.86) and 4.42 (1.37-14.25) respectively. Three empirically defined treatment groups 'never treated', 'ever treated' and 'continuous treatment' groups had odds ratios (95% CI) of 0.53 (1.68-6.58), 0.92 (0.5-1.69) and 3.33 (1.68-6.58) when compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who were naïve to antipsychotics had a significantly lower prevalence of MetS compared to general population. This finding doesn't support the antipsychotic independent risk for MetS in patients with schizophrenia. Female gender and regular antipsychotic exposure predicted MetS.

Prevalence and determinants of metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Indian studies.

INTRODUCTION: Several authors have studied prevalence of metabolic syndrome (Met-S) in schizophrenia patients. Studies conducted in Indian scenario have shown conflicting results. Community based studies reported extremely low prevalence of metabolic syndrome in contrast to hospital based studies reporting higher rates. In this systematic review we summarize results of studies conducted in India and discuss possible reasons for these discrepancies. METHODS: Literature search was conducted with keywords metabolic, schizophrenia and India in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct database. Studies assessing prevalence of metabolic syndrome using IDF or NCEP-ATP III criteria, conducted in hospital and community setting were included. RESULTS: Fourteen studies conducted in hospital setting and two studies conducted in community were included for analysis. Pooled prevalence of Met-S in patients with schizophrenia was 29.83%. Pooled prevalence in community based studies was 10.81% significantly lower than in hospital based studies 33.05%. Overall meta-analysis of studies with case control design showed an OR 3.03 for prevalence in cases compared to controls. Except in one study conducted in a rural community, all other studies reported higher prevalence of Met-S in schizophrenia patients compared to controls. Drug-naïve patients had a pooled prevalence of 11.86%. CONCLUSION: In India, prevalence rates of Met-S in schizophrenia patients are comparable to the rates reported in western studies. Community based studies highlight a significantly lower prevalence compared to hospital studies. More community based studies will enhance our understanding of prevalence and determinants of Met-S in patients with schizophrenia.

Stigma and disability in schizophrenia: developing countries' perspective.

BACKGROUND: Stigma and disability are two important consequences of schizophrenia that individuals afflicted with it experience. Sociocultural milieu can influence these. We review the literature on stigma and disability experienced by individuals with schizophrenia in the developing countries. METHOD: We searched English-language literature from developing countries on stigma and disability in schizophrenia using PubMed and Scopus databases. As individual studies adopted widely varying methodologies, the retrieved papers did not yield themselves for a systematic review. We present a narrative review. RESULTS: Much of the literature on stigma and disability in schizophrenia has come from India and only a few other developing countries. Stigma associated with schizophrenia is highly prevalent across regions and across patients themselves, families, communities and professionals. Research is scanty with regard to determinants of stigma and interventions against stigma. A number of tools have been developed for assessment of disability. Preliminary evidence suggests that initiation and continuation of antipsychotic medications is associated with lesser disability. Psychosocial interventions may reduce disability further. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive, prospective studies evaluating the determinants of stigma and disability need to be conducted in the developing countries. Models of interventions to minimize these adverse consequences, developed based on their results, need to be tested.