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BACKGROUND: Bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is a severe mental illness which results in serious lifelong struggles and challenges. The full impact of stressful life events (SLEs) on the course of BAD is poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 consecutive patients with BAD currently admitted with a relapse. Our objectives were (1) to estimate the proportion, type, and timing of preonset SLEs in relapsed BAD patients and (2) to study the association between SLEs and selected clinical variables in this group. Semi-structured proforma, Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale were used. Statistical analysis was done using R software for Windows. RESULTS: About 69.5% (89/128) of patients reported preonset SLEs - among which 50 (56.2%) had mania and 39 (43.8%) had depression. Conflict with in-laws and financial problems were the commonly reported SLEs. The mean duration between SLEs and the relapse was 19.73 ± 4.8 days. BPRS score was significantly high in subjects with preonset SLEs (P = 0.022). No significant association was detected between SLEs and the type of episode during relapse (P = 0.402). CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the significance of SLEs in the relapse and longitudinal course of BAD. Understanding the association of SLEs and relapse in BAD will help in predicting further relapses and developing newer pharmacological and nonpharmacological measures targeting this aspect, thereby maximizing both symptom reduction and quality of life in patients with BAD.
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BACKGROUND: The polycystic ovary syndrome is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphologic features. Earlier studies have shown that depression was significantly increased in the polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) group and also that PCOD women had marked reduction in quality of life, impaired emotional well-being, and reduced sexual satisfaction. This study was undertaken with the objectives of studying the proportion of anxiety and depression and assessing the quality of life and its correlates in women with PCOD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study on 64 PCOD patients using a pro forma for collecting sociodemographic and clinical details, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, Ferriman-Gallewey score for hirsutism and WHO-quality of life (QOL) BREF. RESULTS: Depression was seen in 93.5% of the subjects and anxiety in 100% of the subjects. The patients were also seen to have a lower quality of life. Lower scores were obtained in the psychological domain (68.80 ± 12.87). Presence and severity of depression and anxiety were found to have a negative correlation with QOL in all domains but maximally affecting the social relationships domain (P ≤ 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). Severity of hirsutism and nulliparity was found to have association with QOL in the psychological domain. CONCLUSION: The majority of women with PCOD in this study were found to have depression and anxiety. They were also seen to have a lower quality of life. Depression, anxiety, and hirsutism were found to have a negative correlation with QOL in all domains.
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BACKGROUND: Contrary to the popular belief concerning the aphrodisiac effects of alcohol, there exists scientific evidence which conclude on sexual dysfunction caused by chronic alcohol use. There is a dearth of studies from India. AIM: The aim is to estimate the prevalence and correlates of sexual dysfunction in alcohol-dependent patients and to explore the association between sexual dysfunction and various alcohol-related variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design and recruited 84 male patients admitted for de-addiction in a tertiary care center. The evaluation was conducted using a specially designed intake proforma and tools such as Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, and International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, diagnostic criteria for research. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of the patients had sexual dysfunction - the most common type being erectile dysfunction (25%), followed by dysfunction in satisfying orgasm (20%) and premature ejaculation (15.5%). Sexual dysfunction was significantly associated with the duration of alcohol dependence, amount of alcohol consumed per day, and severity of alcohol dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual dysfunction is common in male patients with alcohol dependence. The study highlights the detrimental effects of alcohol on sexual function and this information can be utilized in motivational interviewing of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome.
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BACKGROUND: Despite significant advances in pharmacological and psychological therapies for bipolar disorder, many people continue to have less than optimal outcomes, which are associated with significant disability and poor quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to assess the disability and QOL and factors associated with such suboptimal outcomes in subjects with bipolar disorder in remission. METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed to have bipolar disorder in remission attending the Department of Psychiatry, MOSC Medical College, Kerala, India were recruited for the study. They were assessed using the International Classification of Diseases Diagnostic Criteria for Research-10, Hamilton Scale for Depression, Young's Mania Rating Scale, World Health Organization-QOL (WHO QOL-BREF), WHO-Disability Assessment Scale (WHO-DAS), and Kuppuswamy's scale for socioeconomic status assessment. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were evaluated. The mean total WHO-DAS score was 19.2 ± 2.09, the maximum disability in domain 4 (getting along) followed by domain 2 (mobility). The mean total WHO-QOL BREF score was 54.26 ± 2.85, the lowest subscore in domain 3 (social interactions). Disability scores were significantly associated with increasing age, female gender, not being an earning member of the family, and lower QOL scores. Poorer QOL scores were significantly associated with increasing age and higher disability score. CONCLUSIONS: Many bipolar patients in remission have significant disability and poorer QOL. There is a need for longitudinal studies to explore such associations and develop interventions to reduce the disability thereby enhancing the QOL.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mental health and resilience of family members of individuals with alcohol dependence affect their ability to cope with stress, maintain emotional well-being, and to positively adapt to their difficult life circumstances. This study attempted to study resilience among wives of men with alcohol dependence syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and their wives attending the Department of Psychiatry, MOSC Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, over a 1-year period were recruited. The wives were assessed using the Resilience Scale for Adults and the Hamilton Depressive Rating Scale, whereas their spouses were evaluated using severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire and a proforma to collect sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Women with good resilience were compared to those with low scores using a case-control framework to evaluate factors associated with resilience. Multivariable analysis to adjust for common confounders was done using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Eighty patients and their spouses were recruited and evaluated. Resilience was inversely related to the severity of alcohol dependence, years of drinking in dependence pattern, history of domestic violence, and severity of depression in wives. Involvement in support groups was protective. CONCLUSION: Assessment of resilience in wives of individuals with alcohol dependence and identification and management of those with poor resilience should go hand in hand with their husband's treatment program.
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BACKGROUND: Several studies have revealed significant differences between bipolar (BP) and unipolar depression (UP). Misdiagnosing BP depression results in suboptimal symptom resolution, induction of manic switch, mixed state, or accelerated cycling. This study compares various psycho-socio-demographic, longitudinal course, and phenomenological factors associated with BP and UP depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared 30 UP and 30 BP depression patients using a specially designed intake proforma, International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnostic criteria for research, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-21 (HAMD-21), Hypomania Checklist-32 Questionnaire (HCL-32), Brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), and Kuppuswami's socioeconomic status scale. RESULTS: BP depression group consisted of mostly males, with earlier age of onset of illness, longer illness duration, frequent episodes, hospitalizations and psychotic symptoms. The total HAM-D score and 4 HAM-D item scores-psychomotor retardation, insight, diurnal variation of symptoms and its severity, and paranoid symptoms were significantly higher in this group. Binary logistic regression identified the age of onset, the total duration of illness, frequency of affective episodes, and presence of delusions as predictors of bipolarity (odds ratio = 1.327; 1.517; 0.062; 0.137). CONCLUSIONS: Identification of clinical markers of bipolarity from large scale prospective studies is needed.