Depression and guilt in Indian and north american patients: a comparative study.

One hundred and nineteen Indian and one hundred and fourteen North American depressed patients were compared to assess the differences in psychopathology. The study revealed two important findings: 1) Indian patients scored significantly higher than American patients on the HAMD items of poor appetite, hypochondriasis, diurnal variation, and psychomotor retardation; and lower on the items of anxiety and middle insomnia. 2) Guilt was expressed less often by Indian patients. Guilt was more common among those who felt that God was responsible for their depression and in those who believed in reincarnation. These differences may be related to cultural factors and not to religious beliefs.

'Bhanamati' sorcery and psychopathology in south India. A clinical study.

We describe the patterns of illness attributed to sorcery among 209 patients who attended a special clinic in south India. Somatisation and conversion disorders accounted for the majority of patients, although several other psychiatric and medical disorders were also seen. Aspects of treatment of such patients in the sociocultural context are discussed.

Clinical and genetic studies in cases of phenylketonuria (pku) and a report of follow up after dietary therapy.

A report is made of cases of phenylketonuria detected at Bangalore along with experiences in the dietary therapy and management of the cases. The need for early detection and early dietary intervention is indicated.

Brief in-patient family intervention in mental retardation.

A novel programme of intervention - brief inpatient family intervention - was formulated to impart the training skills to the parents of mentally retarded children to optimise the development of their retarded child. During the period of this study. 106 mentally retarded children with different socio-demographic backgrounds and degrees of handicap participated in this programme, with encouraging results. The individualised management plan, spread over 2 weeks of inpatient stay, included intensive counselling, training of the parents in techniques of multisensory stimulation, speech, motor, and self-help skills training, behaviour modification and medical management, as required. The programme could serve as a suitable model for professionals working with the mentally retarded, to implement with limited resources.

Permanent neurological sequelae due to lithium toxicity.

Lithium intoxication is well known to produce acute and chronic symptoms but development of permanent neurological deficit is a rarity. Six cases of manic depressive psychosis who developed neurological sequelae following treatment with lithium carbonate are described. There were multiple lesions in the central nervous system. However, the main brunt was borne by cerebellum. The serum lithium levels of five patients were within therapeutic range. The value of identifying the precipitating factors, early diagnosis and prompt intervention in the prevention of persistent neurological dysfunction is emphasized.

Neurocutaneous melanosis associated with Dandy-Walker syndrome.

A young boy presented with mental retardation and seizures with extensive hairy naevi. After a fluctuating clinical course over the next 2 years, he worsened rapidly with signs of rising intracranial pressure. A CT scan revealed unsuspected features of Dandy-Walker syndrome. The clinical course is traced till the patient's death, and the implications of the coexistence of these rare conditions are discussed in view of the proposed hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of Dandy-Walker syndrome.

Studies on down's syndrome and maternal age.

Details of clinical, genetic and karyotyping investigations carried out on thirty patients with Down's syndrome are described. All the patients showed Trisomy - 21,The information relating to the maternal age revealed that women in the age group of 15-35 also had cases of Down's syndrome which is in contrast to the findings made in western countries.

A clinical and biochemical study of the mucopolysaccharidoses.

Out of five thousand cases of mental retardation investigated over a period often years in NIMHANS, 80 cases were suspected to be cases of mucopolysaccharidoses. Out of these, 58 cases were confirmed as mucopolysaccharidoses after biochemical and radiological investigations. The different types of mucopolysaccharidoses were 40 cases of Hurler's, 14 of Hunter's and 4 of Morquio's syndrome. The special features of the cases are highlighted and the need for early diagnosis is emphasised.

A study of 361 cases of severe unclassifed mental retardation with recurrence in the families.

Detailed family history obtained from 361 cases of severe mental retardation revealed that more than one sib was affected in a majority of the cases where consanguinity was present in more than one generation. The need for studies in general population is indicated for purposes of evolving strategies for genetic counselling.

A study of state-dependent reversal of tardive dyskinesia: phenomenological probe in humans.

A longitudinal study of a case report in which bipolar manic-depression was complicated by tardive dyskinesia indicates an antithetical relationship between the severity of tardive dyskinesia and that of depression as well as mania. Reversal of tardive dyskinesia in depression was compatible with the current neurochemical postulates of these disorders. The scarce reports of state-dependent dyskinesias are reviewed in the hope that this can be a useful probe in human studies. Finally, the "undopamine" hypothesis of tardive dyskinesia as a hypernoradrenergic state is discussed and the need for phenomenological-neurochemical characterization of tardive dyskinesia is emphasized.

A case of nondisjunction of chromosome 21 (47,X,Yqs,+21) in an Indian family with Yqs.

A mentally retarded male with few Down syndrome features showed a satellited long arm of Y (Yqs) and trisomy 21. Metaphase spreads were studied using Q-, C-, G-banding methods and silver staining.