Haider Naqvi

Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Gender differences and prevalence in a Pakistani medical student population

BackgroundBody dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect which causes significant distress or impairment in functioning. Few studies have assessed gender differences in BDD in a non clinical population. Also no study assessed BDD in medical students. This study was designed to determine the point prevalence of BDD in Pakistani medical students and the gender differences in prevalence of BDD, body foci of concern and symptoms of BDD.MethodsThe medical students enrolled in a medical university in Karachi, Pakistan filled out a self-report questionnaire which assessed clinical features of BDD. BDD was diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria.ResultsOut of the 156 students, 57.1% were female. A total of 78.8% of the students reported dissatisfaction with some aspect of their appearance and 5.8% met the DSM-IV criteria for BDD. The male to female ratio for BDD was 1.7. Regarding gender differences in body foci of concern, the top three reported foci of concern in male students were head hair (34.3%), being fat (32.8%), skin (14.9%) and nose(14.9%), whereas in females they were being fat (40.4%), skin (24.7%) and teeth (18%). Females were significantly more concerned about being fat (p = 0.005). Male students were significantly more concerned about being thin (p = 0.01) and about head hair (p = 0.012).ConclusionBDD is fairly common in our medical student population, with a higher prevalence in males. Important gender differences in BDD symptomatology and reported body foci of concern were identified which reflected the influence of media on body image perception. The impact of cultural factors on the prevalence as well as gender differences in BDD symptomatology was also established.

Perceptions of Pakistani medical students about drugs and alcohol: a questionnaire-based survey

BackgroundDrug abuse is hazardous and known to be prevalent among young adults, warranting efforts to increase awareness about harmful effects and to change attitudes. This study was conducted to assess the perceptions of a group of medical students from Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, regarding four drugs namely heroin, charas, benzodiazepines and alcohol.ResultsIn total, 174 self-reported questionnaires were received (87% response rate). The most commonly cited reasons for why some students take these drugs were peer pressure (96%), academic stress (90%) and curiosity (88%). The most commonly cited justifiable reason was to go to sleep (34%). According to 77%, living in the college male hostel predisposed one to using these drugs. Sixty percent of students said that the drugs did not improve exam performance, while 54% said they alleviated stress. Seventy-eight percent said they did not intend to ever take drugs in the future. Females and day-scholars were more willing to discourage a friend who took drugs. Morality (78%), religion (76%) and harmful effects of drugs (57%) were the most common deterrents against drug intake. Five suggestions to decrease drug abuse included better counseling facilities (78%) and more recreational facilities (60%).ConclusionEfforts need to be made to increase student awareness regarding effects and side effects of drugs. Our findings suggest that educating students about the adverse effects as well as the moral and religious implications of drug abuse is more likely to have a positive impact than increased policing. Proper student-counseling facilities and healthier avenues for recreation are also required.

Prevalence of Mistreatment or Belittlement among Medical Students – A Cross Sectional Survey at a Private Medical School in Karachi, Pakistan

Background Mistreatment or belittlement of medical students either by faculty or fellow students has often been reported. Perception of mistreatment has also been associated with increased degree of psychological morbidity. There is a lack of such studies being conducted amongst the medical students of Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and forms of perceived mistreatment and presence of mental health morbidity in a private medical school in Pakistan. Also, any association between mental health morbidity and mistreatment was to be identified. Methods A cross sectional study was carried out on medical students from Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan during the period of June–September 2007. A self administered questionnaire, adapted from Frank et al and Baldwin et al was distributed to a total of 350 students. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: the first dealing with the demographics of the population, the second concerning the various forms of mistreatment, while the third assessed the mental health of students using the General Health Questionnaire 12(GHQ12). Descriptive statistics were performed. The Chi-square test and Fishers exact tests were applied. Results A total of 350 students were approached out of which 232 completed the questionnaire giving a response rate of 66.2%. Mistreatment was reported by 62.5% (145/232) of the respondents. Of these, 69.7% (83/145) were males and 54.9% (62/145) were females. There was a significant relationship between gender, year division, stress at medical school and possible use of drugs/alcohol and reported mistreatment but no statistical relationship was seen with psychiatric morbidity. The overall prevalence of psychological morbidity was 34.8% (77/221). Conclusion This study suggests high prevalence of perceived mistreatment and psychological morbidity among Pakistani medical students. However, no association was found between these two aspects of medical student education. There is a need to bring about changes to make the medical education environment conducive to learning. Increased student feedback, support systems and guidance about progress throughout the year and the provision of adequate learning resources may provide help with resolving both of these issues.

Pathways to care: Duration of Untreated Psychosis from Karachi, Pakistan.

Background Substantial amount of time is lost before initiation of treatment in Schizophrenia. The delay in treatment is labelled as Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). Most of these estimates come from western countries, where health systems are relatively better developed. There is dearth of information on pathway to care from developing countries. Methods and Results Patients with ICD-10 based diagnosis of Schizophrenia were enrolled by convenient method of sampling. The pathway to care was explored through a semi-structured questionnaire. Onset, course and symptoms of psychosis were assessed using Interview for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset of Schizophrenia (IRAOS). Ethical approval of the project was taken from The Aga Khan University, Ethics Review Committee. Of the enrolled 93 subjects, 55 (59%) were males and 38 (41%) were females. In our sample, 1.56 mean (median, 2) attempts were made prior to successful help seeking. The duration of untreated psychosis was 14.8 months (St. Deviation; 29.4). DUP was 16.8 months (St. Deviation; 34.9) for males and 11.8 months (St. Deviation; 18.9) for females. In the pathway to care, psychiatrists featured prominently as initial care providers. In the first attempt at help-seeking, 43% patients were initially taken to psychiatrists. After the initial consultation, 45% were prescribed psychotropic medication while 7% were hospitalized. Only 9% subjects were given the diagnosis of schizophrenia initially. When participants were inquired about the reasons for delay, 29% reported financial difficulties as the barrier to care. Positive symptoms of psychosis were present in 57% subjects while negative symptoms were present in 30% subjects. There was a statistically significant difference (Chi-square; 7.928, df: 1, Sig 0.005) between DUP and the positive and negative symptoms category. Conclusion In the absence of well developed primary care health system in Pakistan, majority of patients present to psychiatrists as a first contact. DUP, as a measurement of help seeking behaviour, tends to be shorter with positive symptoms of Schizophrenia. Substantial amount of time is lost due to non recognition of disease and subsequently, inadequate treatment. Secondary prevention strategies should focus on families, which play an important role in the treatment-seeking process of psychotic patients.

Cost of treatment of deliberate self-harm. A study from Pakistan

A retrospective review of 98 patients through medical and billing records, over a period of 12 months (January to December 2004), was conducted to evaluate the cost of treatment of patients presenting with deliberate self-harm (DSH) to a private tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. After initial treatment in the Emergency Department (ED), 34 patients were admitted to the medical wards for further treatment and 64 patients were either discharged or left against medical advice from ED. The mean cost for admitted and discharged patients was US

Prevalence and demographics of anxiety disorders: a snapshot from a community health centre in Pakistan.

255 and US

Prevalence of body-focused repetitive behaviors in three large medical colleges of karachi: a cross-sectional study

55.60, respectively. One patient was intubated in the ED and shifted to intensive care unit. The cost of treatment of DSH is extremely high in a country like Pakistan, where the patients have to bear the hospital cost out of their own pocket. The most important determinant of cost was length of hospital stay, averaging 2.91 days.

Educating and Informing Patients Receiving Psychopharmacological Medications: Are Family Physicians in Pakistan up to the Task?

BackgroundThe developing world is faced with a high burden of anxiety disorders. The exact prevalence of anxiety disorders in Pakistan is not known. There is a need to develop an evidence base to aid policy development on tackling anxiety and depressive disorders in the country. This is the first pilot study to address the prevalence of anxiety disorders and their association with sociodemographic factors in Pakistan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among people visiting Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), a tertiary care facility in Karachi, Pakistan. The point prevalence of anxiety amongst the sample population, which comprised of patients and their attendants, excluding all health care personnel, was assessed using the validated Urdu version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The questionnaire was administered to 423 people. Descriptive statistics were performed for mean scores and proportions.ResultsThe mean anxiety score of the population was 5.7 ± 3.86. About 28.3% had borderline or pathological anxiety. The factors found to be independently predicted with anxiety were, female sex (odds ratio (OR) = 2.14, 95% CI 1.36–3.36, p = 0.01); physical illness (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.06–2.64, p = 0.026); and psychiatric illness (OR = 1.176, 95% CI 1.0–3.1, p = 0.048). In the final multivariate model, female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2, 95% CI 1.28–3.22) and physical illness (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI 0.97–2.48) were found to be significant.ConclusionFurther studies via nationally representative surveys need to be undertaken to fully grasp the scope of this emerging public health issue in Pakistan.

Epidemiology of suicide in Pakistan: determining rates in six cities.

BackgroundBody-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) that include skin picking (dermatillomania), hair pulling (trichotillomania) and nail biting (onychophagia), lead to harmful physical and psychological sequelae.The objective was to determine the prevalence of BFRBs among students attending three large medical colleges of Karachi. It is imperative to come up with frequency to design strategies to decrease the burden and adverse effects associated with BFRBs among medical students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 students attending Aga Khan University, Dow Medical College and Sind Medical College, Karachi, in equal proportion. Data were collected using a pre tested tool, “Habit Questionnaire”. Diagnoses were made on the criteria that a student must be involved in an activity 5 times or more per day for 4 weeks or more. Convenience sampling was done to recruit the participants aged 18 years and above after getting written informed consent.ResultsThe overall prevalence of BFRBs was found to be 46 (22%). For those positive for BFRBs, gender distribution was as follows: females 29 (13.9%) and males 17 (8.1%). Among these students, 19 (9.0%) were engaged in dermatillomania, 28 (13.3%) in trichotillomania and 13 (6.2%) in onychophagia.ConclusionsHigh proportions of BFRBs are reported among medical students of Karachi. Key health messages and interventions to reduce stress and anxiety among students may help in curtailing the burden of this disease which has serious adverse consequences.

Use of electroconvulsive therapy at a university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: a 13-year naturalistic review.

Introduction Studies have shown a high prevalence of psychiatric illnesses among patients in primary health care settings. Family physicians have a fundamental role in managing psychiatric illness with psychopharmacological medications. Providing information about the disease, its management and the potential adverse effects of the medications is an important part of the management of mental illnesses. Our objective was to determine if patients who were prescribed psychopharmacological drugs by family physicians at a community health center in Karachi, Pakistan were provided adequate education about their disease and its management. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. Details about the prescriptions and patient education were acquired from the patients after their consultations. Results A total of 354 adult patients were interviewed during 3 days. Among them, 73 (20.6%) were prescribed psychopharmacological medications. Among patients receiving psychopharmacological medicines, 37 (50.7%) did not know their diagnosis; 50 (68.5%) were unaware of the disease process; 52 (71.2%) were unaware of alternative treatments; 63 (86.3%) were not cautioned about the potential adverse effects of the drugs; 24 (32.9%) were unaware of the duration of treatment and in 60 (82.2%) of the participants an appropriate referral had not been discussed. For all aspects of education, patients prescribed psychopharmacological medications knew less as compared to those patients that were prescribed other medications. Discussion The practice of imparting information to patients who receive psychopharmacological medications seems to be inadequate in Pakistan. We have hypothesized about the possible reasons for our findings, and identified a need for further research to determine the cause for such findings and to address them accordingly. At the same time there is a need to educate family physicians in Pakistan about the special importance of providing adequate information to such patients.