-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Background: Studies have been conducted on the skills of physicians in general hospitals in identifying mental disorders,but there are no studies assessing the proficiency of internees in identifying mental disorders. Aim: To confirm the diagnosis of the cases identified by 40 internees in the community as ′mentally disabled′. Materials and Methods: Of 15,583 people,29 were identified in the community by the internees as ′mentally disabled′. This was followed by home visits to the houses of these 29 individuals conducted by two qualified psychiatrists and one clinical psychologist, and these cases were screened for their psychiatric status using MINI Plus. Results: Most of the cases identified by internees as having ′mental disability′ were cases of mental retardation and the others were mood and psychotic disorders and epilepsy. Cases of mental retardation and mental disorders other than those identified by the internees could also be identified while visiting the respective geographical areas. Conclusions: There is a need to hone the skills of the medical students during the course of their training in identifying cases of mental retardation, severe as well as minor psychiatric disorders, as a part of their training. There is also a need for the use of structured scales for the same.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2011;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2010;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) conformation and stability play an important role in brain function. Earlier studies reported alterations in DNA integrity in the brain regions of neurological disorders like Parkinson′s and Alzheimer′s diseases. However, there are only limited studies on DNA stability in an aging brain and the factors responsible for genomic instability are still not clear. In this study, we assess the levels of Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) in three age groups (Group I: below 40 years), Group II: between 41-60 years) and Group III: above 61 years) in hippocampus and frontal cortex regions of normal brains. The number of samples in each group was eight. Genomic DNA was isolated and DNA integrity was studied by nick translation studies and presented as single and double strand breaks. The number of single strand breaks correspondingly increased with aging compared to double strand breaks. The strand breaks were more in frontal cortex compared to hippocampus. We observed that the levels of Cu and Fe are significantly elevated while Zn is significantly depleted as one progresses from Group I to Group III, indicating changes with aging in frontal cortex and hippocampus. But the elevation of metals was more in frontal cortical region compared to hippocampal region. There was a clear correlation between Cu and Fe levels versus strand breaks in aging brain regions. This indicates that genomic instability is progressive with aging and this will alter the gene expressions. To our knowledge, this is a new comprehensive database to date, looking at the levels of redox metals and corresponding strand breaks in DNA in two brain regions of the aging brain. The biological significance of these findings with relevance to mental health will be discussed.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2010;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integrity plays a significant role in cell function. There are limited studies with regard to the role of DNA damage in bipolar affective disorder (BP). In the present study, we have assessed DNA integrity, conformation, and stability in the brain region of bipolar depression (BD) patients (n=10) compared to age-matched controls (n=8). Genomic DNA was isolated from 10 postmortem BD patients′ brain regions (frontal cortex, Pons, medulla, thalamus, cerebellum, hypothalamus, Parietal, temporal, occipital lobe, and hippocampus) and from the age-matched control subjects. DNA from the frontal cortex, pons, medulla, and thalamus showed significantly higher number of strand breaks in BD (P <0.01) compared to the age-matched controls. However, DNA from the hippocampus region was intact and did not show any strand breaks. The stability studies also indicated that the melting temperature and ethidium bromide binding pattern were altered in the DNA of BD patients′ brain regions, except in the hippocampus. The conformation studies showed B-A or secondary B-DNA conformation (instead of the normal B-DNA) in BD patients′ brain regions, with the exception of the hippocampus. The levels of redox metals such as Copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe) were significantly elevated in the brain regions of the sufferers of BD, while the Zinc (Zn) level was decreased. In the hippocampus, there was no change in the Fe or Cu levels, whereas, the Zn level was elevated. There was a clear correlation between Cu and Fe levels versus strand breaks in the brain regions of the BD. To date, as far as we are aware, this is a new comprehensive database on stability and conformations of DNA in different brain regions of patients affected with BD. The biological significance of these findings is discussed here.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2010;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2009;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2009;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A Pilot study was Carried out to study the association of consanguinity marriage with depression. It was observed that the consanguinity of marriage was associated with depression. The odds ratio was 5.66 (CI: 2.42-13.54). The age and sex had an association with depression. The age and sex adjusted odds ratio of consanguinity marriage was 7.66 (CI: 3.93-19.45) indicating that it is independently associated with depression.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2009;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2009;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2009;
-
Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 01/2008;
