Neurocognition in first-degree healthy relatives (siblings) of bipolar affective disorder patients.

AIM: Cognitive deficits have been presupposed to be endophenotypic markers in bipolar disorder, but few studies have ascertained the cognitive deficits in healthy relatives of bipolar disorder patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the cognitive functions of first-degree relatives of patients with bipolar disorder and compare them with healthy controls. METHODS: Ten first-degree apparently healthy relatives of patients with bipolar disorder were compared with 10 age- and education-matched control subjects on computer-based cognitive tests. RESULTS: As compared to the control group, the relatives group performed significantly poorly on tests for executive function and vigilance, while on the test for working memory the performance was not significantly different on most of the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Executive functioning and vigilance could be potential markers of the endophenotype in bipolar patients.

Cognitive functions in euthymic state of bipolar disorder: an Indian study.

INTRODUCTION: It has recently been observed that some cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders persist even after the subsidence of active symptoms. The authors aim to study the cognitive functioning of patients with bipolar disorder, currently in euthymia and compare them with normal healthy controls. METHODS: Fifteen patients having bipolar-I disorder and currently in euthymia were compared with fifteen age- and education-matched controlled subjects. Cognitive assessments were done using three computer-based tests, i.e., Wisconsin's Card Sorting Test (WCST), Spatial Working Memory Test (SWMT), and Continuous Performance Test (CPT). RESULTS: Euthymic bipolar patients showed significant deficits in executive functions. Subtle deficits were present in attention and working memory that were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Executive deficits may be trait markers in bipolar disorder and may have clinical implications in patient rehabilitation.

Cognitive functions in stable schizophrenia & euthymic state of bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Some cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders persist after the subsidence of active symptoms. We carried out this study to assess and compare the cognitive functioning of patients with stable schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. METHODS: Fifteen each of stable maintained schizophrenic patients and euthymic bipolar-I patients attending outpatient clinic in a tertiary care psychiatric hospital in north India were included in the study as also equal number of age and education matched control subjects. Cognitive assessments were done using Wisconsin's Card Sorting Test (WCST), Spatial Working Memory Test (SWMT) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT). RESULTS: Stable schizophrenia patients performed poorly on all the neurocognitive parameters as compared to both controls and bipolar euthymic patients. Euthymic bipolar patients showed significant difference on executive functions with normal controls. Patterns of cognitive disturbances in tasks of executive function are similar in both groups but are quantitatively more marked in schizophrenia. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that stable schizophrenia patients performed significantly worse on cognitive measures than patients of euthymic bipolar disorder which was consistent with their poorer functional outcome. The results further indicated that stable schizophrenia and euthymic bipolar disorders may be distinguished qualitatively in neuropsychological terms with different profiles of cognitive impairment.

Disability assessment in mental illnesses using Indian Disability Evaluation Assessment Scale (IDEAS).

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric disorders cause disability in individuals and pose significant burden on their families. In most of the cases residual disability and poor quality of life continue even after disability evaluation in patients with chronic mental illness in very important. The present study was undertaken to assess and compare the disability in patients with schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using Indian Disability Evaluation Assessment Scale (IDEAS). METHODS: Patients diagnosed to have schizophrenia and OCD with mild severity of illness were included in the study. Indian Disability Evaluation Assessment Scale (IDEAS) was applied. Disability was assessed in these patients on all domains of IDEAS. RESULTS: Majority of the patients with schizophrenia were from rural areas whereas most of the patients with OCD were from urban background. There was comparable disability in the patients with schizophrenia with duration of illness in the range of 2-5 yr and >5 yr. Significant disability in work and global score was seen in patients of obsessive-compulsive disorder with duration of illness >5 yr. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher disability in all domains than patients with OCD. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Schizophrenia causes greater disability than obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients. These illnesses affect all areas of daily functioning leading to greater disability, and thus increasing the burden on the family, pose greater challenge for the rehabilitation of patients and their inclusion in the mainstream of the family and society. Further studies on a larger sample need to be done to confirm the finding.

Suicide: an Indian perspective.

Suicide, as an issue, has attracted the attention of society since time immemorial. Its situation in India and the socio-demographic variables have been discussed along with management profile. The education of physicians and general practitioners in suicide prevention has been stressed.

Pregnancy-induced obsessive compulsive disorder: a case report.

Pregnancy is a well-recognised risk factor in precipitating obsessive-compulsive disorder. We present and discuss a case with the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the fourth month of gestation, which fully recovered two weeks after delivery. The phenomenology of the observed disorder was similar to earlier reports of obsessive-compulsive disorder in pregnancy, i.e. the obsessions and compulsions were predominantly related to the concern of contaminating the foetus resulting in washing compulsions. Despite the initial success with anti-obsessional drugs, the patient stopped the medication in the last month of gestation. Nevertheless, she fully recovered two weeks after the delivery without any psychiatric intervention. There were no obsessive-compulsive symptoms at one-year follow up. The possible mechanisms involved in the aetiology of this case, and future research directions in understanding the role of pregnancy in OCD are discussed.

Depression in general clinical practice.

Worldwide currently about 340 million people suffer from depression. If not treated, it leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Risk factors include female sex, young age, lower socio-economic study, separated or divorced, positive family history, stressful life events, certain medical illness and so on. Aetiology lies on genetic factors, biochemical abnormality and personality and environmental factors. Clinical features lie on cardinal and other common symptoms. Depression usually starts before 40 years of age, average duration of one episode being 3-9 months. Treatment consists of a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches, pharmacotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy. A clinician may start therapy with low dose SSRIs which is considered as 1st line drugs. To educate patients about anti-depressants is very important.

Executive functions in depression: a clinical report.

Fifty patients of depression and thirty normal subjects were assessed using clinical rating scales and also for the executive functions by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The depressed subjects demonstrated poor performance on WCST suggesting cognitive inflexibility and prefrontal dysfunction. More severe illness was associated with greater impairment in the executive functioning. This pattern of result in conjunction with previous studies supported the idea that depressed patients may have fixed frontally based dysfunction and calls for the use of cognitive assessment and rehabilitation in the patients with depression.

Obsessive compulsive disorder:co-morbidity in manic phase of bipolar affective disorder.

Comorbidity is known to occur among various psychiatric disorders. About the third of the patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder but coexistence of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with mania is rare to see. Here we report a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder where manic phase was accompanied by obsessions of contamination and pathological doubts along with cleaning rituals and spitting rituals.