Depression, Anxiety and Stress among School-going Adolescents of a Secondary School: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Mental health of adolescents can affect growth and development, decrease school performance, and impair social relationships with peers and families. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the social and educational scenario and affected the psychological condition of children and adolescents. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among school-going adolescents in a secondary school. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among school-going adolescents of a school from 1 October 2021 to 31 November 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 0609202101). Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic parameters and a diagnosis of depression anxiety and stress was made using a standard scale. The whole sampling method was used. Percentage and frequency were calculated for binary data. Results: Among 95 patients, the depression was found in 31 (32.63%), anxiety in 36 (37.89%), and stress in 3 (3.16%). Conclusions: The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was lower than in other studies done in similar settings. The mental health status of school-going adolescents should be identified and appropriate timely interventions need to be taken. Family members, teachers and the concerned authorities should give emphasis to the psychological well-being of the adolescents. Keywords: adolescent; anxiety; depression; stress.

Anxiety and Depression among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Haemodialysis in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is a global public health problem with psychological issues and other adverse issues like renal failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature deaths. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of anxiety and depression among patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis in the Department of Medicine, Nephrology unit of a tertiary care centre from December 2020 to June 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 1712202003). The whole sampling method was used. The diagnosis of anxiety and depression was made using the Nepali version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale with a cut-off of ≥8 scores. Results: Among 96 patients, the prevalence of anxiety was 66 (68.75%) and that of depression was 74 (77.08%) patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of anxiety and depression was similar to other studies done in similar settings. Keywords: anxiety; chronic kidney disease; depression; hemodialysis.

Composite Anxiety-depression among Medical Undergraduates during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Fear and anxiety is a natural response during crisis. From constant worry of getting infected, death of loved ones, transitioning of lifestyle to loss of social connection; there can be several psychological triggers. The effect on mental health on the general population could be greater than those affected by the infection itself during the pandemic. Among medical students, who already have several other psychological afflictions, these triggers might be detrimental. Hence, this study aims to find out the prevalence of composite anxiety-depression among medical undergraduates in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among medical undergraduates in a tertiary care hospital from 20th December 2020 to 5th January 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee. The sample size was calculated and convenient sampling was done. The data were entered in International Business Machines Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: Out of 315 participants on the Patient Health Questionnaire-Anxiety and Depression Scale, severe composite anxiety-depression was seen in 10 (3.17%) at 95% Confidence Interval (1.23-5.1) participants, moderate in 35 (11.11%) at 95% Confidence Interval (7.63-14.58) and mild in 98 (31.11%) at 95% Confidence Interval (25.99-36.22). And 172 (54.6%) at 95% Confidence Interval (49.1-60) were normal. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid rise of apprehension among people amidst infectious outbreaks can ensue and medical students are no exception. So, at this time of crisis, there is a need to protect their mental health and it should be emphasized and endorsed.

Association Between Internet Addiction, Depression and Sleep Quality Among Undergraduate Students of Medical and Allied Sciences.

BACKGROUND: The use of the internet is growing rapidly worldwide with easier availability and affordability in developing countries like Nepal. Apart from several benefits, it has also led to deleterious effects on certain individuals' physical and mental well-being. The present study aimed to assess the burden of internet addiction among nursing, dental and medical undergraduates at a medical school, and examine its relationship with depression and sleep quality. METHODS: A cross-sectional study among 494 students pursuing nursing, dental and medical undergraduate courses at the same medical college in Nepal was conducted. The burden of internet addiction, depression, and sleep disturbance was assessed using Young's Internet addiction test, Beck's depression inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaires respectively. RESULTS: The majority of respondents reported either controlled use of internet or mild problem with internet use. However, 4.7% of respondents reported significant problems due to internet use. Further, about 42.3% reported poor sleep quality, and 8.9% screened positive for depression. In both chi-square and logistic regression analyses, internet addiction was significantly associated with poor sleep quality and depression. CONCLUSION: The study shows that about half of the participants experienced at least some problems and a small but significant proportion of them reported severe problems due to internet use. This warrants the need to address the issue of internet addiction among medical and allied sciences students in Nepal. Further, internet addiction is associated with both depression and poor sleep quality, highlighting a need to develop effective interventions targeting all three problems holistically.

Effect of lockdown on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals attending services at a tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND: Lockdown is an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building during a threat or danger. Since the start of COVID-19 till date, almost one-third of the world's population is under some degree of restriction and lockdown, and the mental health effect of which is something that is being discussed widely. AIM: The study aimed to assess the effect of lockdown on mental health among individuals (patients or accompanying person) seeking services at a tertiary care center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Kathmandu Medical College is a tertiary care center and a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal. In this study, we enrolled every 4th individual coming to the hospital's outpatient department registration counter to seek service and giving consent, for the duration of 1 month during the ongoing lockdown period. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and approved by the department and was used to collect sociodemographic details and to rate the stress level. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) Nepali version was used to assess psychological well-being of the participants and a score of ≥3 by binary method was taken as positive case. RESULTS: The total number of cases enrolled in the study was 204, out of them 62.2% were male and 32.8% were female and the mean age was 32.03 years. Twenty-three percent (23.5%) had preexisting health conditions. Out of the 204 participants, 67.6% said they were stressed following the lockdown and the mean rated stress was 2.90 in a scale ranging from 1 to 7. The frequently identified stressors were fear of contamination, restricted movement, and for inadequate supplies. Twenty-seven percent said they had some psychological symptoms and the most common symptoms were palpitation and sleep disturbance. Seventy-three individuals (36.5%) were found to have psychiatric problem according to their scores in GHQ-12. Rated stress and GHQ-12 scores were found to be strongly correlated (P = 0.000). Similarly, those who stated "Yes" in psychological symptoms significantly scored higher on GHQ-12 and stress (both P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: The lockdown has caused stress in majority of cases, and a significant number of individuals have diagnosable mental health conditions. Mental health impact of the lockdown is something that needs to be addressed seriously.

Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease Among Medical Students of a Medical College.

INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a public health concern as the prevalence is increasing worldwide with significant increase being in low-middle income countries. However these countries appear to be less prepared in handling this rise in terms of diagnosis and management. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu medical College, from June 2017 to July 2017. Purposive sampling was done and the medical students who were in their first and final year of study were included in the study after obtaining an informed consent. RESULTS: Total 185 students were included in the study, 80 (43.24%) from first year and 105 (56.75%) from final year of medical study. The mean score of knowledge among the students was 17.44±2.46; 15.32±1.22 among first year and 19.06±1.87 among the final year students. Majority of the students said they have heard about dementia however, only 3 (3.75%) of first year and 43 (41.9%) from final year students have either attended a class or continuing medical education on dementia Conclusions: The knowledge about dementia was found to be average among medical students but better among final year medical students in comparison to first year. The knowledge was found to be better statistically among those who had either attended a class or continuing medical education on dementia or had exposure through different medias.