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BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness which has far-reaching consequences not only on patients but also on relatives. These relatives are at an increased risk for developing schizophrenia, depression, and substance dependence. Psychopathology may be related to personality factors. This study was planned to assess psychopathology and personality factors in first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia and to evaluate any relation between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at psychiatry out- and in-patient clinic at a tertiary care teaching hospital. One hundred and fifty patients who were first-degree relatives of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition were enrolled in this study. Psychopathology was assessed on "Symptom Checklist 90-Revised." "Big Five Inventory" (BFI) was used to study the personality factors. The two variables were compared to look for any relation between them. RESULTS: Eighty-two of 150 (54.67%) first-degree relatives were diagnosed to have significant psychopathology. Among them, 42 (i.e., 58.5%) had either somatization or depression. Those relatives who had psychopathology scored higher on neuroticism (P = 3.51E-04) and lower on agreeableness (P = 0.029) domains of BFI. CONCLUSION: Relatives of patients with schizophrenia should be screened for psychopathology regularly, also relation between personality and psychopathology needs to be explored further.
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Marchiafava Bignami disease is a rare toxic disease seen mostly in chronic alcoholics, resulting in progressive demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. Initially it was thought to be specific to individuals in central Italy, consuming large amounts of Chianti red wine; however, alcoholic beverages worldwide are presently implicated. In our case series of two cases, locally made "illicit" liquor (Mahuwa Alcohol) could be the causative factor. In radiological point of view typically the corpus callosum is affected, with involvement of the body, genu, and splenium in order of occurrence. Occasionally the entire callosum may be also involved. Clinical presentation varies from case to case.
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OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of integrated therapy over the past 3 y on the recipient autistic children and its correlation with the following variables - age at admission, duration of therapy given and initial severity of symptoms. METHODS: The index study was a retrospective study with 18 autistic children as subjects; the maximum duration of intervention was 3 y. The integrated approach consisted of special education using principles of applied behavior analysis, occupational and speech therapy. The progress records, the occupational therapy and the speech therapy progress reports were tabulated as data. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (Schopler, Reichler and Renner, 1986) was used for evaluation of severity of symptoms at admission and in present day. The data was then compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The present study showed significant positive results. Only few domains requiring very high integrated cognitive and sensorimotor functioning showed non-significant results. Age at intervention correlated negatively and, duration of therapy given and initial severity of symptoms correlated positively with effectiveness of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous feedback and modification of the therapy is required to maintain performance and develop target interventions for problematic areas identified. Longitudinal as well as comparative studies are required to better understand the benefits of integrated approach.