Comparative effectiveness of aripiprazole and olanzapine on neurocognitive profile of patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Schizophrenia causes significant neurocognitive impairment. Treatment with antipsychotics leads to improvement in psychopathology and neurocognitive functions. Aim: To see comparative effectiveness of aripiprazole and olanzapine on neurocognitive profile of patients with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: This was a comparative, prospective, and interventional study. Patients with schizophrenia as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), were assessed on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and neuropsychological tests at baseline. Patients were randomly assigned to aripiprazole (10-30 mg per day, orally) and olanzapine (5-20 mg per day, orally) groups on the basis of computer-generated random table number. Patients were reassessed at 10 weeks. Results: A total of 40 patients completed the study duration of 10 weeks. At baseline, the majority of patients showed significant impairment in one or more domains of neurocognition. Both aripiprazole and olanzapine led to improvement in psychiatric symptoms as well as neurocognitive profile. Aripiprazole treatment leads to significant improvement in mental speed as compared to olanzapine. A highly significant decrease in the value of the Stroop effect indicates improvement (P = 0.000**) with aripiprazole and visual-spatial constructive ability (P < 0.001). The olanzapine group showed highly significant improvement in performance of category fluency (P < 0.01) and verbal fluency (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The study concludes that aripiprazole and olanzapine have strong potential to improve specific domains of neurocognitive profile.

Understanding of Behavioral Problems Among Young Persons with Intellectual Disability: A Self-Report.

Background Behavioral problems among young persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are pronounced, and it has been of significant concern for field practitioners. Different investigators have used various techniques and methods to study behavioral problems among persons with intellectual disabilities. Objective The study was conducted to examine the concept of behavioral problems from persons with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods Persons with ID ( n = 13) with DSM 5 diagnosis of mild ID (IQ: 50-69) in ages ranging from 16 to 27 years were selected. For the present study, the qualitative method using Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was used. Results The results suggest that persons with intellectual disabilities have an adequate understanding of their behavioral problems and can make efforts to control their anger and aggression. Conclusion The study's findings showed that persons with an intellectual disability did not have knowledge of only the concept of behavioral problems, but they also employed methods to overcome these behavioral problems. The community needs to be made aware of this to get better opportunities in community participation, thus helping them contribute to society.

Effectiveness of Rajyoga meditation as an adjunct to first-line treatment in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Yoga is a set of mental, physical, and spiritual practices with its origin in ancient India. The renewed interest in Yoga has led to the exploration of its benefits in a variety of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders. There is a dearth of literature on the effect of yoga in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in the Indian context. AIM: The present study was conducted to find out the efficacy of Rajyoga meditation (RM) as an adjunct to the first-line treatment in the treatment of OCD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with OCD (diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition) were divided into two groups - (i) The meditation group (MG), which included 28 patients and (ii) The nonmeditative group (NMG), which included 22 patients. MG practiced RM protocol for 3 months duration in addition to the pharmacological treatment. The NMG continued on pharmacological management as usual. The symptomatology was assessed at baseline and 3 months using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS: At 3 months, both groups demonstrated improvement in symptoms. The improvement in MG was statistically significant with a change of 9.0 ± 3.16 in Y-BOCS and a 49.76 ± 9.52% reduction in symptoms. Improvement scores of NMG were also statistically significant with a change of 3.13 ± 2.59 in Y-BOCS and 18.09 ± 14.69% reduction in symptoms. MG showed significantly more improvement in Y-BOCS scores (49.76 ± 9.52) as compared to NMG (18.09 ± 14.69) using the student's paired t-test (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the RM is an effective adjunctive therapy to reduce obsessions and compulsions in patients with OCD.

Hypocalcemia Masquerading as Schizophreniform Disorder.

Among the symptoms of hypocalcemia, tetany, papilledema, and seizures may occur in patients who develop hypocalcemia acutely. We describe a rare case of hypocalcemia presenting as schizophreniform disorder. Among other presentations of hypocalcemia, one should also look for the relation between psychotic symptoms and calcium levels in a patient presenting with psychotic symptoms.