Epidemiological survey of mental health in adolescent school children of Gujarat, India.

INTRODUCTION: Mental health problems in adolescents are inadequately researched in low-resource settings. We aimed in this study to assess the prevalence of mental health problems and correlates in school children aged 13-17 years and compare differences between urban and rural schools in Anand District, Gujarat. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five Gujarati medium higher secondary schools in Anand, Gujarat. Six hundred and ninety-three students with equal distribution of boys and girls belonging to 9th to 12th grades were included in the study. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the mental health status of the students, and total difficulties scoring was used to categorise participants into normal (0-15) and high (borderline (16-19) and abnormal (20-40)). Socio-demographic data and Teenage Screening Questionnaire-Trivandrum (TSQ) were used to assess associated medical and psychosocial factors. Clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics committee before conducting the study. RESULTS: 15% participants had a high SDQ score. Girls had more emotional problems, while the rest of the mental health problems were more prevalent in boys. Rural children were found to have more mental health issues. Having an eye problem, scoring <50% in last annual examinations, failure in examinations, difficulties in studying at home and difficulties in relationships were associated with high SDQ score. Keeping physically fit and having friends were associated with normal SDQ score. Logistic regression model revealed that age, receiving punishment in form of more homework and difficulty discussing friends with parents increased odds of high SDQ score, while having friends and after-school entertainment like watching movies decreased odds of high SDQ score. CONCLUSIONS: At least one in eight adolescents in this study was at risk of mental health problems. SDQ self-report questionnaire and TSQ survey may be used as a screening modality to identify at-risk students.

Burden of Self-Reported Noncommunicable Diseases in 26 Villages of Anand District of Gujarat, India.

Introduction. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 53% of deaths and 44% of disability adjusted life years lost in India. A survey was undertaken to measure the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use and self-reported NCDs in a rural community in western part of India. Methodology. Trained Village Health Workers did the survey in the years 2012-13 under supervision. The data was collected for five NCDs, namely, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer, heart disease, and mental illnesses. Results. 18,269 households with a population of 89755 were covered. Prevalence of any form of tobacco use in the age group of >20 years was 34.5 and 52.7% and 15.2% in males and females, respectively. Prevalence of any NCD was 5.3% with a slightly higher prevalence in females (5.4%) than males (5.2%) in the age group of 20-69 years. Prevalence of NCD multimorbidity (≥2 NCDs) was 0.7% in the age group of 20-69 years. 80.7% of hypertensives and 94.9% of diabetics were taking treatment. More females than males were taking antihypertensive treatment. Conclusion. Tobacco use was high. Prevalence of NCDs was less than that reported in other studies. Data generated from this study can be useful in planning a community based NCD programme.

Opercular syndrome: A case report and review.

We present a 9-year-old boy with history of perinatal asphyxia and neonatal seizures; who presented with delayed development of speech, with predominant dysarthria, dysphagia, and drooling of saliva and unable to protrude tongue along with delayed motor and mental milestones. He had complex partial seizures since last 3 years requiring multiple anti-epileptic drugs. He had dysarthria, nasal twang, and drooling of saliva with difficulty in chewing and swallowing. Hearing and understanding were normal. Bilateral trigemino-facio-linguo-pharyngeal palsy was noticed on voluntary movements with normal jaw jerk with preserved automatic and emotional motor movements. Electroencephalography revealed focal left fronto-temporal epileptiform discharges and brain imaging was suggestive of bilateral cortical and subcortical region encephalomalacia, predominantly involving bilateral opercular region. The clinical and neuroimaging features correspond to bilateral opercular syndrome which could have resulted from the perinatal insult in this case.