Stigma and mental health problems in an Indian context. Perceptions of people with mental disorders in urban, rural and tribal areas of Kerala.

BACKGROUND: The concept of stigma has been widely used to understand patterns of discrimination and negative ideas surrounding people with mental health problems, yet we know little of the specific nuances of how this might operate beyond the 'Global North'. AIM: This paper aims to explore the notion of stigma in an Indian context by considering the lived experience of patients, carers and community members. METHODS: A sample of 204 participants, representing mental health patients, informal carers and community members was recruited from urban and rural areas in Kerala, India. Participants took part in interviews where they were encouraged to talk about their experiences of mental ill health, attitudes towards these problems, barriers encountered and sources of support. RESULTS: Experiences akin to the experience of stigma in Europe and the United States were elicited but there were important local dimensions specific to the Indian context. The difficulties faced by people with diagnoses of mental disorders in finding marriage partners was seen as an important problem, leading to marriage proposals being refused in some cases, and secrecy on the part of those with mental health problems. Rather than the 'self-stigma' identified in the US, participants were more likely to see this as a collective problem in that it could reflect badly on the family group as a whole rather than just the sufferer. CONCLUSIONS: In the Indian context, the idioms of stigma emphasised impairments in marriage eligibility and the implications for the family group rather than just the self.

Tweaking Electrical and Dielectric Properties of Nickel Oxide Nanocrystals by Varying the Surfactant.

The influence of cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and neutral polymeric polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactants on electrical and dielectric properties of NiO nanocrystals is investigated. It is demonstrated that, compressive strain of nanocrystals is higher with PVP than that of CTAB. Consequently surfactant type has significant influence on intrinsic defects of nanocrystals. This is attributed to the difference in stabilization of metallic ions against agglomeration that leads to variation in rate of hydrolysis. Particularly, in the case of PVP assisted synthesis, higher stabilization leads to slow nucleation rate with lower defect density. As a result the hopping time of charge carriers decreases which in turn enhances the conductivity of nanocrystals as evidenced from the shifting of dielectric loss peak to higher frequency.

Anemia and nutritional status of pre-school children in Kerala.

A study on the pattern of anemia and its relation to nutritional status and dietary habits was conducted among 3633 pre-school children of 108 selected anganwadi centers in rural areas of Kerala State during the period 1996 to 1998. Children were invited with their parent or guardian. Capillary blood was collected from each child and hemoglobin was estimated by cyanomethemoglobin method. Weight and height of children were taken for assessing their nutritional status. The information regarding their age, sex, clinical condition and dietary habits was collected in a performa through an interview. Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship of anemia to sex, dietary habits, and nutritional status. For multivariate analysis logistic regression model was employed. The prevalence of anemia was 11.4%. The percentage of anemic children among male and female children was 10.25 and 12.55 respectively and statistical analysis showed that female children were more susceptible to anemia. Normal nutritional status was seen among 46.7% of the children. When 187 (11.78%) of the mild undernourished children were anemic, the percentage anemic among the moderate undernourished children was 57 (16.37%). Moderate under nutrition and anemia showed a significant association. Anemia was reported among both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Among 927 vegetarians, 86 (9.27%) were anemic and among 2,706 non-vegetarians, 328 (12.1%) were anemic. Dietary survey revealed that, consumption of iron sources, whether haem or non-haem, was below the recommended level. Undernutrition can be attributed as the major reason for nutritional anemia. Changes in eating behaviour could have potentially affected the iron bio-availability.