Preeti Kandasamy

• MD, PDF, DM (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Professor (Assistant) at Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research

Background and Purpose Incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI) is a developmental failure of normal hippocampal inversion. Previous studies have described IHI in epilepsy and non-epilepsy subjects. IHI has also been reported with malformations of cortical development (MCDs) and corpus callosal agenesis that have association with neuropsychiatric dis...

Background: Behaviour parent training (BPT) is first-line treatment for preschool attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). BPT in a group format can be a cost- and time-effective alternative in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) settings with limited resources. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the feasibility and e...

Background Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in preschool children is challenging and complicated owing to the presence of developmentally appropriate overactivity and a dynamic developmental/learning phase shaping their behaviour. We aimed to study the clinical profile and co-morbidity of ADHD in preschool children. Met...

Background There is a paucity of research on interventions targeting preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for school readiness. Objectives The aim of this study is to develop and validate a school readiness module for making children with ASD ready for inclusive education and a scale to assess school readiness in them. Methods...

Objectives Early-onset Bipolar Disorder (EOBD), has a more malignant course with high recurrence risk and there is a need for population-specific pharmaco-genomic study. Methods This study is a prospective and retrospective observational study. Both newly diagnosed patients and those on follow-up with a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder with onset b...

Background Intellectual disability (ID) is a global public health concern and it causes a significant amount of distress to primary caregivers. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a psychoeducational module on caregiver's stress and their ability to cope with this disorder. Methodology An experimental one group pretest posttest design w...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social interaction and communication. Children with autism are at risk of school exclusion because of the inherent problems in behavior and communication. This study was performed in Puducherry to determine whether inclusive education is practiced for children with ASD and to...

Background Parent-mediated intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a critical component to deliver evidence-based interventions in resource-limited settings. There is a need for methodologically rigorous longitudinal and follow-up studies of children with ASD to understand clinical outcome and developmental trajectories. M...

Technology-assisted parent-mediated interventions improve accessibility and are acceptable but not proven to be effective. We conducted a systematic search of 6 databases. We included and analysed results from studies on social and communication outcomes. Sixteen Randomised-Controlled-Trials (RCTs) with 748 participants were included. Most studies...

A significant number of adolescents have difficulty in this period of student life and results in anxiety disorders that are mostly undetected and untreated. The lack of data exists in this arena in India. This study aimed to assess anxiety disorders among adolescents studying in urban and rural areas and compared the differences between these two...

Background Anxiety and depression are co‐morbidities that affect symptom control in children with asthma and are often overlooked in busy practice. Objectives To find out the proportion of children with asthma who have co‐morbid anxiety and depression, to study the association of co‐morbid anxiety and depression on symptom control and to study the...

Background: The concept of emotional intelligence has gained great popularity in the last few decades. With significant rise in stress and other emotional disturbances among students, it becomes necessary to determine whether high emotional intelligence could help manage perceived stress better. This study aims to assess emotional intelligence and...

Background Concern is mounting regarding screen exposure among young children and its association with mental health. Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be more vulnerable to its effects such as increased externalizing behaviors and problems with language and cognitive development and biological functions such as slee...

Multi-systemic genetic disorders are strongly associated with psychiatric illness and may require psychotropics for their management. The choice of psychotropics is primarily determined by medical comorbidities and adverse effects. A careful assessment of behavioural phenotype and metabolic monitoring for children on psychotropics should be followe...

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of atomoxetine on complex attention and other neurocognitive domains in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Interventional trials reporting changes in complex attention and other neurocognitive functions (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5) following administration of atomoxetine...

Introduction: Extant literature lack studies on behavioural training or pharmacotherapy in Indian preschool children. With adverse long term outcomes, effective, safe and affordable early interventions for ADHD are a priority. Aim of this prospective study is to report on short term outcome of preschool ADHD with specific focus on safety and toler...

Introduction: There is a global rise in the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and treatment gap exists across settings. In low-resource settings, there is a lack of professionals and specialist centres for intervention delivery. 'Parent-mediated interventions' is an essential strategy to bridge the existing treatment gap. While RCTs are...

Conclusion Vici syndrome should be suspected in children presented with developmental delay, hypotonia,and abnormalities of corpus cal-losum or cerebellum. Awareness may help in improving the quality of life and survival of these patients. Background and objectives Aetiology of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial but genetics is though...

The study assesses the acceptability and feasibility of a brief parent-mediated home-based intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), deliverable in resource-limited settings, with an emphasis on addressing parental stress from a socio-cultural perspective. 50 children (2–6 years), with a DSM 5 diagnosis of ASD were randomized t...

Subjects fulfilling DSM 5 criteria of Bipolar I disorder with onset before 18 years on Lithium prophylaxis were included. A total of 575 subjects with Bipolar Disorder were screened, 141 had early-onset Bipolar disorder, 72 patients were on Lithium and 52 provided informed consent and entered the study. Thirty-four were in the prospective group, an...

Background Anxiety spectrum disorders are the most prevalent psychopathology among children and adolescents. Qualitative research in childhood anxiety disorders can provide valuable insights regarding interventions. The objectives of this study were to examine the child's perspectives on the subjective experience of concerns, the impact of the symp...

Background Although anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents, there is a paucity of research on the course and outcome of anxiety spectrum disorders in low and middle-income countries. Methods 60 children and adolescents aged 6–16 years with anxiety spectrum disorders attending the child and ado...

Background: Early interventions in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reduce progressive symptom development. Delay in diagnosis and initiation of ASD-specific interventions is observed across settings. This study aimed to assess the trends in time to diagnosis and treatment initiation in a tertiary care pediatric setting. Methodology:...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, with increasing prevalence globally. Early intervention has been shown to improve the core deficits and result in a favorable outcome in children with ASD. Various interventional methods, novel mechanisms, and approaches are being widely researched. Though accelerating interven-tional...

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder commonly associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the prevalence ranging from 14-70%. The current study attempted to assess the impact of comorbid ADHD in children with ASD, in terms of challenges in diagnosis, treatment, intervention outcomes and p...

Objectives: Minimal Hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) has been reported in children with extra hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO). MHE assessment is restricted to research situations as neuropsychiatric tests are time-intensive. Computerised Stroop Test (CST) has been used in cirrhotic adults for MHE screening. The study aims to assess MHE frequen...

Background: Gut microflora influences neural development through complex mechanisms. Feeding practices, especially breastfeeding influence gut microbiome and thereby play a pivotal role in immune and neural development. Current understandings of the role of healthy distal gut microflora in the development of immune and neural systems provide insig...

Disorders in latest editions of the classificatory systems ICD-11 and DSM-5 have been categorised from a developmental lifespan perspective which is step in the right direction. Other laudatory features include highlighting developmental presentations, grouping neurodevelopmental disorders and including new diagnoses such as Complex PTSD and Prolon...

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with no clear etiopathogenesis. Owing to unique socio cultural milieu of India, it is worthwhile reviewing research on ADHD from India and comparing findings with global research. Thereby, we attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of resea...

Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with no clear etiopathogenesis. Owing to unique socio cultural milieu of India, it is worthwhile reviewing research on ADHD from India and comparing findings with global research. Thereby, we attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of research on A...

A case of an adolescent with symptoms of Mania, who developed Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptom (DRESS) syndrome on exposure to combination of oral Olanzapine and Sodium Valproate is presented. We have attempted to highlight the atypical presentation of DRESS syndrome in this patient as well as management difficulties in patient...

Acceleration of Autism interventional research is evident in high-income countries (HIC), however, remains limited in low-resource settings. Though studies have established efficacy of behavioural interventions for Autism spectrum disorder, conducting behavioural interventional research in low resource setting poses unique challenges in economic, e...

Affective disorders are common during childhood and adolescence and often pose a challenge in clinical settings. The clinical presentation of affective disorders varies with the developmental age of the child and the classical symptoms increase with age and severity. From a developmental perspective, the disruptive mood dysregulation disorder as a...

Problem: Comorbid psychiatric diagnoses tend to be underdiagnosed in patients with intellectual disability. Diagnosing anxiety disorders in such patients can pose challenges, in particular with regard to obsessive and compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: We present the case of an adolescent diagnosed with intellectual disability with poor express...

Comorbid psychiatric diagnoses increase the caregiver burden in patients with intellectual disability (ID). There is scarce literature on the dynamics between caregiver distress and psychopathology in persons with ID, especially regarding the dissociative disorders. We present the case of a young female with cerebral palsy, ID, epilepsy and psychos...

Delay in the diagnosis and early intervention for Autism spectrum disorders has been observed across cultures and within the same cultural context. With the current evidence base for early intervention there is a need for greater awareness for early recognition, evaluation and intervention. This brief report discusses the average age at recognition...

Migraine is a primary headache disorder. It includes transient aura symptoms that occur before the headache phase. Auditory hallucinations are very infrequently reported as part of migraine and are a very rare presentation. We report a 15-year-old nonpsychotic adolescent boy who has had migraine and auditory hallucinations for the past 6 years, and...

Global epidemiological data indicate a significant burden of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) problems. Collating similar data from Asian countries, the majority of which have vast needs but limited resources in CAMH, will help in improving the policy-making, service development and clinical practice. A nonclinic-based English literature s...