Industrial Psychiatry Journal最新文献

Background: The Mental Health Care Act, 2017 (MHCA, 17) was passed through both houses of the parliament. The Indian Psychiatric Society through its Patient's Rights Task Force committee has been deliberating various rounds of discussion at levels of stakeholders, mental health professionals, and patients' perspective. However, a scarce budget for mental health services, lack of trained mental health professionals, and poor infrastructure and logistics pose a challenge for this new act as still there is a lack of awareness of different provisions of MHCA at the administrative, judiciary, and public levels.

Aim: The present study was undertaken to address the perspectives of psychiatrists related to MHCA,2017 its provisions.

Materials and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was designed to gather information on awareness about MHCA, 2017. The responses were collected from the member psychiatrists of Indian Psychiatric Society in a google form including the suggestions regarding amendments in MHCA, 2017.

Results: 22.6% of participants were using MHCA in clinical practice completely, and 20.2% did not use it all. 52.4% stated that they are using it partly. Capacity assessment of the person suffering from mental illness was done by 52.4% of participants in day-to-day clinical practice. 35.7% denied assessing it. With respect to section 309 IPC, 31% were registering and managing suicide attempts as medico legal cases and 63.1% as non-MLC cases. 54.2% of the participants were not aware about medical insurance for mental health. The qualitative data suggest the act should be simplified including relaxation in provisions of minor, capacity assessment and ensure active functioning of various authorities.

Conclusions: Amendments are required in MHCA, 2017 taking into cognizance the opinions from various practicing psychiatrists who are facing hurdles in routine clinical practice.

Background: Major depression is a commonly occuring, seriously impairing, and often recurrent mental disorder. Depression and cognitive impairement have enormous implications for public health. Cognitive symptoms represent one of the core features of depression and have an impact on many functional outcomes. Different cognitive domains such as attention and concentration, psychomotor speed, executive functioning, and memory have been found to be implicated.

Aim: This study aimed at assessing the cognitive domains affected and severity of cognitive dysfunction in first-episode patients of the unipolar depressive episode without psychosis and to assess the correlation of association of severity of cognitive deficit with severity of depression.

Materials and methods: A total of 40 patients with depression diagnosed according to International Classification of Diseases Research Diagnostic Criteria and 40 healthy controls were included. PGI Battery of Brain Dysfunction, Frontal Assessement Battery, and Hamilton Depression Rating scale (HAM-D) were adminstered, and analysis was done using Chi-square test, unpaired t-test, and Pearson's correlation.

Results: The study revealed significant differences in the dysfunction scores between the study and control populations. In the study group, more than 80% of patients had cognitive dysfunction and a positive correlation was found between dysfunction and HAM-D scores.

Conclusion: Depression is associated with significant disturbance in cognitive functioning, and the cognitive dysfunction increases with an increase in the severity of depression.

Background: Breast and cervical cancers pose significant health challenges for Indian women, impacting their psychological well-being and quality of life.

Aim: To compare psychiatric morbidity, explore coping strategies, and evaluate quality of life among women with these cancers.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional observational study among women aged 18 years and above attending a tertiary care hospital Oncology unit diagnosed first time with breast or cervical cancer, providing informed consent, were recruited by purposive sampling between September 2019 and August 2020. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, sociodemographic and clinical details were collected. Participants were interviewed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) version 6, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Coping Checklist, and WHOQOL-BREF. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Sixty-eight participants (34 in each group) were recruited from a tertiary care hospital's Oncology unit between September 2019 and August 2020. Comorbid psychiatric illnesses were found in 41.2% of cervical and 32.4% of breast cancer participants. Major depressive disorder (20.6% cervical; 8.8% breast) and generalized anxiety disorder (8.8% each) were common. Emotion-focused coping was prevalent, while negative distraction was least used. Quality of life was lowest in social relationships, physical health, and psychological health domains, with no significant intergroup differences.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of psychiatric morbidities, poor coping strategies, and impaired quality of life imply that healthcare providers need to be culturally sensitive and integrate mental health screening and support services into routine cancer care.

Background: Suicide among students is increasing in India and is a matter of grave concern. Early identification of students contemplating suicide would facilitate emergency intervention and may save precious lives.

Aim: Our primary objective was to construct an artificial intelligence (AI) model employing an artificial neural network (ANN) architecture to predict students at risk of suicidal tendencies. This initiative was prompted by the necessity to implement a proactive and technologically driven strategy for identifying competitive exam-bound students facing heightened vulnerability. The aim was to facilitate timely interventions aimed at reducing the risk of self-harm.

Materials and methods: An AI model utilizing ANNs is devised for suicide risk prediction among exam-stressed students. A 33-feature input layer is curated based on literature and expert insights, with binary features assigned weighted values. A rigorous hyperparameter optimization approach using the Optuna library to select the most effective neural network model. Ridge regression was used to determine bias or variance in the dataset. Training and testing of the model are conducted using fictional and simulated profiles, respectively, and model performance is assessed through statistical metrics and the Cohen's Kappa coefficient, benchmarked against expert evaluations.

Result: The AI model demonstrates exceptional predictive capabilities for suicide risk assessment among competitive exam students. Quantitative Metrics: The model's accuracy of 98% aligns predictions with outcomes, distinguishing risk categories. Precision at 100% identifies cases within predicted risks, minimizing false positives. A recall of 97% identifies true risk cases, highlighting sensitivity. F1 Score: The model's F1 score of 98% balances precision and recall, indicating overall performance. Cohen's Kappa: With a coefficient of 1.00, the model's substantial agreement with experts underscores its consistent classifications.

Conclusion: The study introduces an AI model utilizing ANNs for suicide risk prediction among stressed students. High precision, recall, and accuracy align with expert evaluations, highlighting its promise for timely risk identification. The model's efficiency in evaluating large populations swiftly indicates its clinical potential. Refinement and real-world validation remain future considerations.

Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by stupor, mutism, negativism, posturing, mannerisms, stereotypies, waxy flexibility, catalepsy, grimacing, echolalia, and echopraxia. This syndrome has a plethora of etiologies that arise from neurological and medical conditions, psychiatric illnesses, and withdrawal of psychoactive substances. Adding to this, it has numerous differentials, including an acute confusional state, which often adds to the diagnostic dilemma. The incidence of catatonia is between 5 and 20%. A comprehensive workup of the patient is required to rule out organic causes, after which a diagnosis of catatonia can be looked into for treatment. We present three case reports who presented with catatonic syndrome but had different etiologies.

Background: The detrimental effects of air pollution on human health, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, have raised concerns globally. While prior research has explored the association between air pollution and cognitive impairments, it is poorly studied in the Indian population.

Aim: This study aims to specifically profile the cognitive deficits experienced by children residing in areas with high ambient particulate matter air pollution (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) in Odisha.

Material and methods: A total of 30 children aged 6-8 years from Kalinga Nagar, Odisha were sampled, and their cognitive functions covering domains such as memory, attention, IQ, executive function, verbal skills, vocabulary, visuospatial ability, and processing speed and accuracy were assessed using the Malin's Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC).

Results: The mean full-scale IQ of the children was 84 as per MISIC, indicating that on average, the children's IQ falls below the normal range. Specifically, the children showed lower performance in tests assessing attention, working memory, general knowledge acquisition, mathematical skills, vocabulary, and spatial reasoning.

Conclusion: Six- to eight-year-old children residing in areas with high ambient particulate pollution exhibited lower cognitive abilities, including deficits in attention, working memory, mathematical skills, vocabulary, and visual-spatial processing.

Background: Police personnel are emergency service providers who face many issues in their daily functioning with the public. They expressed subjective stress and tension. In addition, their job's transitory nature adds to the day-to-day hassles and challenges. However, the services provided by those who are posted in the office and the field are different.

Aim: The present study aims to measure and compare the level of stress, job satisfaction, and happiness among police personnel working in the office and field.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 police personnel from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cities of Odisha. Three scales were used to assess their stress level, job satisfaction, and happiness: Perceived Stress Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.

Results: The statistical analysis shows a significant difference between the police personnel posted in the field and office with respect to three variables: perceived stress, job satisfaction, and happiness.

Conclusion: The results of the current study underscore the need for ongoing support and mental health services for police personnel, particularly those deployed in the field. It is crucial to address their work's psychological toll and provide resources to support their mental and emotional well-being.