RESUMO
Continued efforts to produce appropriate mental health legislation in Pakistan led to the Mental Health Ordinance of 2001. However, with the 18th amendment to the constitution and devolution of health responsibilities to the provincial governments, it became the task of the provinces to pass appropriate mental health legislation through their respective assemblies. Currently the mental health legislative picture is fragmented and unsatisfactory. Only the provinces of Sindh and Punjab have a mental health act in place and there is an urgent need for similar legislative frameworks in other provinces to protect the rights of those with mental illness.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The current study investigated the clinical features of British South Asian adolescent females presenting with low weight in the absence of organic disease. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective case note study of South Asian British female adolescents presenting with weight loss/anorexia nervosa to psychiatric clinics and matched White English peers presenting with low weight. RESULTS: South Asian patients presented more frequently with loss of appetite (p = .01) and less frequently with fat phobia (p = .032) and weight preoccupation (p = .001). South Asians also had significantly more satisfactory relationships with their nuclear family and peers (p = .03). DISCUSSION: Differing symptom profiles for anorexia nervosa need to be taken into account when assessing patients from different cultures. South Asian adolescents may present with a non-fat-phobic form of anorexia nervosa. This has clinical and epidemiologic implications. Further investigation is warranted to assess the nosologic status of this group.
