ABSTRACT
BackgroundThere is an understandable concern that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is little empirical data. We report the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the short-term course of OCD. We also assessed for predictors of relapse and emergence of COVID-19-themed obsessive-compulsive symptoms. MethodsA cohort of patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD (n=240) who were on regular follow-up at a tertiary care specialty OCD Clinic in India were assessed telephonically, about 2 months after the declaration of the pandemic ( pandemic cohort). Data from the medical records of an independent set of patients with OCD (n=207) who were followed-up during the same period, one year prior, was used for comparison (historical controls). ResultsThe pandemic group and historical controls did not differ in the trajectories of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores (Chi-square for likelihood-ratio test of the Group x Time interaction = 2.73, p= 0.255) and relapse rate [21% vs 20%, adjusted odds ratio = 0.81 (95% CI 0.41 -1.59, p=0.535]. Pre-existing contamination symptoms and COVID-19-related health anxiety measured by the COVID-Threat Scale did not predict relapse. Only a small proportion of patients (6%) reported COVID-19-themed obsessive-compulsive symptoms. LimitationsFollow-up 2 months after pandemic declaration may be too early understand the true impact. ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short-run, did not influence the course of illness in those who were on medications. It would be pertinent to evaluate the long-term impact of the pandemic on the course of OCD. Highlights O_TBL View this table: org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@15a988dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d5880borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d68eb4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@330a6dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f18891_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_TBL C_TBL
ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of the study is to assess the opinion of young psychiatrists (aged ≤45 years) about the various scientific activities of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey using SurveyMonkey electronic platform was conducted. Data of 350 participants were available for analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants (spread across 115 institutes/medical colleges) was 33.61 (standard deviation [SD] - 5.32) years and their mean number of years of experience in psychiatry including the training period was 8.25 (SD - 5.5) years. About 70% of the participants (n = 243) rated the current format of the Annual National Conference of the IPS (ANCIPS) to be "good/very good," and more than half of the participants agreed that the conferences at the zonal and state level help in enhancing the academic knowledge of the participants as well as such activities help in enhancing the social interaction among fellow colleagues. Among the various scientific sessions of the ANCIPS, workshops and guest lectures were rated as very useful by three-fifth of the participants. Regarding opinion in terms of changes required in the current format of the ANCIPS and other conferences/continuing medical educations (CMEs) being conducted by IPS, more than half to about two-third of the participants reported that having more hands-on workshops, having sessions like meet the experts, having mentorship programs, and more expert speakers from India will "definitely" be useful. Majority of the participants expressed that reduction of concurrent sessions would be definitely be beneficial. In terms of modification of ongoing activities and introduction of new activities, about two-third of the participants expressed that having IPS supported travel fellowship programs within the country and abroad, having subject/topic-focused conferences, and starting online CMEs will be definitely be useful. CONCLUSIONS: The present survey reflects that there is a need to have more subject/topic-focused conferences/CMEs, need to introduce online CME activities, reduction of concurrent sessions during the conferences and strengthening the travel fellowship programs. All these can be considered as expectations of the young generation of psychiatrists from the organization like IPS, which should be duly considered while planning future conferences and CMEs.
ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the perception of the young psychiatrists (aged ≤45 years) about their training received during the postgraduate training period. METHODOLOGY: An online E-mail survey using Survey Monkey electronic platform evaluated the perception of 451 psychiatrists about their own perception of training received during the postgraduation period. RESULTS: About two-third (n = 308; 68.3%) of the respondents reported that their overall training was 'good' or 'very good'. However, training was rated as poor/very poor in subspecialties of child and adolescent psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry by 26.2% and 26.9% of the participants, respectively. Exposure/training was rated as "poor/very poor" by more than one-fifth of the participants in areas of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation (69.9%), rehabilitation psychiatry (47%), forensic psychiatry (45.5%), psychodynamics (40.5%), neuroimaging (38.1%), psychotherapy (34.8%), orientation to private practice (26.9%), statistics (34.1%), writing skills (24.4%), ethical principles of research (23.5%), women mental health (23.3%), psychosexual medicine (22.7%), and research methodology (21.5%). Regarding academic activities involving writing skills, although majority (72.5%) of the participants reported being involved in writing case reports and half (50.3%) reported involvement in writing original articles, but exposure to writing other types of article was quite low. Training in different types psychotherapies in the form of adequate exposure, carrying out and supervision to different types of psychotherapy was inadequate/low for psychodynamic psychotherapies, rational emotive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, eclectic psychotherapy, and other kind of therapies. A high proportion of respondents reported having good competence in the administration of modified electroconvulsive therapy and making presentation in academic fora just after passing degree from their institutes and at the time of survey (current competence). When comparisons were done between the different groups of institutes, significant difference was noted across all aspects of training. CONCLUSIONS: The present survey reflects that there is a variation in the psychiatry training in India. Accordingly, it can be said that there is a need to develop a model for competency-based training program at the level of the Indian Psychiatric Society in consonance with training regulatory bodies like the Medical Council of India, which can be implemented across the country to harmonize the training.
ABSTRACT
Pact suicides involving families have been reported in the scientific literature, but reports have been few from India. We report the case of a family, in which the father and three children had entered into a suicidal pact and executed it due to social reasons. A 41-year-old man, with no past psychiatric or substance use history, had reportedly come to know that his wife had been involved in an extra-marital affair. As expressed by him in a suicide note, he could not bear the humiliation due to this and also did not want his children to face disrespect from the society. He along with his daughter and 2 sons, aged 14, 12 and 11 years respectively, thus entered into a suicide pact to end their lives and wrote a suicide note. Man and two of his children consumed aluminum phosphide. However, the youngest son did not consume the poison and raised alarm, following which they were rushed for medical care. The father died, but the three children recovered completely. The case highlights the rare phenomenon of suicide pacts involving an adult and children.
