Shubhangi R Parkar

A Comparison of the Level of Functioning in Chronic Schizophrenia with Coping and Burden in Caregivers

Background: A chronic mental illness such as schizophrenia is a challenging task for caregivers especially in the current era of de-institutionalization. In India, few studies have attempted to directly determine the relationship between coping mechanisms and burden; in the West, studies have found that improved coping in family members can decrease the perceived burden. Aim: To evaluate the burden and coping of caregivers in relation to the level of functioning in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods: The sample was 100 patients with their primary caregivers attending a Psychiatry OPD. Patients were assessed on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale while caregivers were administered the Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) and Mechanisms of Coping (MOC) scale. Results: Fatalism and problem-solving were the two most preferred ways of coping. Problem-focused coping, i.e. problem-solving and expressive-action decreased the burden of caregivers, while emotion-focused coping, i.e. fatalism and passivity, increased it. As the level of functioning of the patient decreased, the significance with which the coping mechanisms influenced the burden, increased. The use of problem-solving coping by caregivers showed a significant correlation with higher level of functioning in patients. Conclusion: Coping mechanisms such as problem-solving can decrease the burden of illness on caregivers and may even improve the level of functioning of patients.

Comparison of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in relatives of ICU patients in an American and an Indian public hospital

Context: An intensive care unit (ICU) admission of a patient causes considerable stress among relatives. Whether this impact differs among populations with differing sociocultural factors is unknown. Aims: The aim was to compare the psychological impact of an ICU admission on relatives of patients in an American and Indian public hospital. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out in ICUs of two tertiary care hospitals, one each in major metropolitan cities in the USA and India. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 relatives visiting patients were verbally administered a questionnaire between 48 hours and 72 hours of ICU admission that included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) for post-traumatic stress response. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done using the Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests. Results: Relatives in the Indian ICU had more anxiety symptoms (median HADS-A score 11 [inter-quartile range 9-13] vs. 4 [1.5-6] in the American cohort; P<0.0001), more depression symptoms (BDI-II score 14 [8.5-19] vs. 6 [1.5-10.5], P<0.0001) but a comparable post-traumatic stress response (IES-R score>30). 55% of all relatives had an incongruous perception regarding “change in the patients condition” compared to the objective change in severity of illness. “Change in worry” was incongruous compared to the perception of improvement of the patients condition in 78% of relatives. Conclusions: Relatives of patients in the Indian ICU had greater anxiety and depression symptoms compared to those in the American cohort, and had significant differences in factors that may be associated with this psychological impact. Both groups showed substantial discordance between the perceived and objective change in severity of illness.

Are the Effects of Cannabis Dependence on Glucose Metabolism Similar to Schizophrenia? an FDG PET Understanding

Background: Cannabis has been associated with transient psychotic states; however, the causal relationship between cannabis and schizophrenia continues to remain a matter of debate. Epidemiological and some biological studies hint at cannabis being an independent risk factor for schizophrenia; this has not been definitively proved. Aims: We aimed to understand the patterns of glucose uptake in important brain regions among individuals with cannabis dependence and schizophrenia. Furthermore, we compared the interregional metabolic rates in pertinent neural circuits among individuals with cannabis dependence, schizophrenia and normal controls. Setting and Design: This is a case-control cross-sectional study that was carried out by a general psychiatry department in collaboration with a nuclear diagnosis unit. Materials and Methods: Male volunteers with cannabis dependence, schizophrenia and normal controls underwent FDG PET scanning. Glucose uptakes in pre-selected regions of interest were compared using MANOVA. Finally, Chow tests were used to compare interregional metabolic relationships in the mesocortical and cortical-subcortical-cerebellum circuits. Results: Significant differences (P<0.05) were noted among individuals with cannabis dependence and schizophrenia in the medial and lateral temporal regions. When the neural circuits were compared, significant interregional differences (P<0.05) were noted between individuals with cannabis dependence and normal controls. However, among individuals with cannabis dependence and schizophrenia, no significant differences (P>0.05) were noted in these patterns. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cannabis dependence can alter interregional relationships in a manner similar to schizophrenia. This indicates that cannabis could potentially play a role in the development of psychosis by altering neural circuits.

Is this 'complicated' opioid withdrawal?

Seven patients with opioid dependence admitted in the de-addiction centre for detoxification developed convulsions and delirium during the withdrawal phase. After ruling out all other possible causes of these complications, opioid withdrawal seemed to emerge as the most likely explanation. The unpredictability of the course of opioid dependence and withdrawal needs to be considered when treating patients with opioid dependence.

A comparative study of coping skills and body image: Mastectomized vs. lumpectomized patients with breast carcinoma.

Background: The diagnosis of breast cancer encompasses not only physical, but also social and psychological implications because of the importance of the breast in a womans body image, sexuality and motherhood. Women may experience a range of concerns and fears including physical appearance and disfigurement, the uncertainty about recurrence and the fear of death. There are no Indian studies on this subject. Aim: This study explores the various concerns of mastectomized and lumpectomized (breast conserved) patients, determines the coping mechanisms employed and the resolution of concerns. The levels of anxiety and depression in both groups were also studied. Methods: Seventy-five patients with breast carcinoma (50 mastectomized and 25 lumpectomized) were evaluated. The concern and coping checklist of Devlen was used. The severity of anxiety and depression was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Body image or disfigurement was a concern only in the mastectomized group. Concerns were equally resolved between the two groups except for sexual role and performance, wherein the concern was resolved to a lesser extent in the mastectomized group. Coping strategies employed were effective in the resolution of concerns except for sexual role and performance, and recurrence or relapse. No statistically significant difference was found in the depression and anxiety levels of the two groups. Conclusion: Concern regarding sexual role and performance was resolved to a lesser extent in the mastectomized group. Specific psychological intervention is necessary to enhance coping strategies with regard to concerns of body image, and sexual role and performance.

Regional brain metabolism in schizophrenia: An FDG-PET study.

Background: Recent technological advances have established beyond any doubt the biological nature of schizophrenia. Functional neuroimaging using FDG-PET forms an important technique in understanding the biological underpinnings of psychopathology of schizophrenia. Methods: Eighteen male patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia and having active psychosis as determined by PANSS were subjected to FDG-PET scanning under resting conditions. The glucose uptake in selected regions of interest was studied across the spectrum of schizophrenia. Results: Chronicity and severity of illness did not influence cerebral glucose metabolism. Participants with negative schizophrenia had significantly decreased metabolism in all regions of the brain as compared to the positive type. The positive syndrome of schizophrenia was associated with significantly increased glucose metabolism in the medial temporal regions, basal ganglia and left thalamic regions. Hypometabolism was also noted in the cerebellum. Conclusion: While a number of brain areas can be identified as potential causative regions and hypotheses regarding putative mechanisms can be formed, the considerable heterogeneity of schizophrenia poses a great challenge in the precise delineation of the disease process.

Cannabis dependence: Effects of cannabis consumption on inter-regional cerebral metabolic relationships in an Indian population

Background: The effects of cannabis consumption on neurophysiological function have been a matter of considerable debate. With the legalization of medical marijuana, understanding the consequences of cannabis dependence has become extremely important. Aim: We attempted to understand the influence of cannabis on cerebral glucose metabolism in certain predetermined regions of interest (ROIs). Furthermore, we also explored inter-regional metabolic relationships between ROIs forming the “addiction” and “cognitive dysmetria” circuit. Materials and Methods: 2-fluoro, 2-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) scans were carried out in 16 male patients (age: 25.3±10.38 years) with cannabis dependence, 8–12 hours after the last cannabis consumption. Resting glucose uptake in 14 pre-determined ROIs was compared with glucose uptake in 16 non-drug using volunteers (age: 29.2±8.39 years). Results: The two groups differed in their lateral and medial temporal glucose uptakes by approximately 16–24%. The relationships between inter-regional glucose uptakes in the two circuits were compared using the Chow Test. Significant differences in inter-regional correlations in the medial temporo–frontal and parieto–thalamic were noted between the two groups. Conclusion: The altered metabolic relationships among various brain regions can have potentially important implications for understanding cannabis dependence and cannabis-induced psychopathology.

Suicide prevention competencies among urban Indian physicians: A needs assessment

Introduction: India accounts for the highest estimated number of suicides in the World. In 2012, more than 258,000 of the 804,000 suicide deaths worldwide occurred in India. Early identification and effective management of suicidal ideation and behavior are paramount to saving lives. However, mental health resources are often scarce and limited. Throughout India, there is a severe shortage in mental health professions trained, which results in a treatment gap of about 90%. A comprehensive needs assessment was undertaken to identify the nature of the deficits in suicide prevention training for physicians in three Indian cities: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Mysore. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in several concurrent phases and used a mixed-method approach of converging quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Data were collected using survey questionnaires, focus groups, consultations, and environmental scans. A total of 46 physicians completed the questionnaire. Focus groups were conducted in Mumbai and Ahmedabad with 40 physicians. Consultations were carried out with psychiatrists and psychiatric residents from hospitals and clinics in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Mysore. Results: Training gaps in suicide prevention exist across the health care professions. Existing training lacks in both quality and quantity and result in critical deficits in core competencies needed to detect and treat patients presenting with suicidal ideation and behavior. Only 43% of the surveyed physicians felt they were competent to treat suicidal patients. The majority of surveyed physicians believed they would greatly benefit from additional training to enhance their suicide risk assessment and intervention skills. Conclusions: There is a dire need for medical schools to incorporate suicide prevention training as a core component in their medical curricula and for continuing medical education training programs for physicians to enhance competencies in early detection and management of suicidal behavior.

Liaison psychiatry and Indian research.

Liaison in Psychiatry refers to the branch of Psychiatry involving assessment and treatment in the general hospital of referred patients, like in the casualty, or patients of deliberate self farm. The Indian scene also reveals major reference from medicine, surgery, surgical super specialty and orthopedics with psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression and / or organic brain syndromes seen in about 40 to 50 % of the medical or surgical patients. Though the Indian published data is limited, most tertiary hospitals in India carry out liaison work with various departments like Neurology, Organ transplant, Intensive Care Units and Cosmetic Surgery, so as to give comprehensive health services to patients. Liaison in Psychiatry has thus brought the emphasis on the teaching of psycho-social aspects of medicine and also increased research possibilities.

Adverse drug reactions due to antipsychotics and sedative-hypnotics in the elderly

Psychotropic drugs are commonly used to manage mental and behavioral problems in geriatric patients. This is, however, accompanied by the risk of developing adverse drug reactions (ADRs), impacting the safety with which the drug can be used. In this article, we provide an overview of the factors associated with the ADRs due to psychotropic medication in the elderly, and the ADRs associated with the use of antipsychotics and sedative-hypnotics in the geriatric population. For this, literature searches were conducted through MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar using keyword terms: Geriatric, elderly, safety, adverse events, ADRs, antipsychotic, names of individual antipsychotics, benzodiazepine, sedative, hypnotic, zolpidem, zaleplon, zopiclone. Research data indicate that antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, thromboembolism, cerebrovascular and cardiac events, pneumonia, fractures, and increased mortality. Among antipsychotics, aripiprazole seems to have fewer ADRs while other antipsychotics (typical and atypicals) have reports of troublesome side effect profiles. Sedative-hypnotics are associated with a risk of falls, fractures, cognitive impairment, and may increase the risk of developing dementia with long-term use. The risk of these complications is present with both benzodiazepines and medications such as zolpidem and zopiclone.