A study of collaborative telepsychiatric consultations for a rehabilitation centre managed by a primary healthcare centre.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: : Telepsychiatric methods can be used for the purpose of providing clinical care comparable to in-person treatment in various settings including rehabilitation. Previous evidence has shown that clinical outcomes for both are comparable. In view of challenges posed in the implementation of traditional psychiatric care in India, telepsychiatry offers an avenue to provide feasible, affordable and clinically useful psychiatric services. This study was conducted to examine the utility, feasibility and clinical effectiveness of providing collaborative telepsychiatric services with a primary care doctor for inpatients in a rehabilitation centre through a telepsychiatrist of estabilished psychiatry department in a tertiary care centre in south India in a collaborative care model with a primary care doctor. METHODS: : Patients at the rehabilitation centre attached to an urban primary healthcare centre received collaborative care using telepsychiatry for a period from January 2013 to December 2016. A retrospective review of their charts was performed and sociodemographic, clinical and treatment details were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: : The sample population (n=132) consisted of 75 per cent males, with a mean age of 43.8 ± 12.1 yr. Each patient received an average of 7.8 ± 4.9 live video-consultations. Initially, an antipsychotic was prescribed for 84.1 per cent (n=111) of patients. Fifty four patients (40.9%) had a partial response and 26 (19.7%) patients showed a good response. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: : The study sample represented the population of homeless persons with mental illness who are often brought to the rehabilitation centre. This study results demonstrated the successful implementation of inpatients collaborative telepsychiatry care model for assessment, follow up, investigation and treatment of patients through teleconsultation.

Discovery biology of neuropsychiatric syndromes (DBNS): a center for integrating clinical medicine and basic science.

BACKGROUND: There is emerging evidence that there are shared genetic, environmental and developmental risk factors in psychiatry, that cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries. With this background, the Discovery biology of neuropsychiatric syndromes (DBNS) proposes to recruit patients from five different syndromes (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's dementia and substance use disorders), identify those with multiple affected relatives, and invite these families to participate in this study. The families will be assessed: 1) To compare neuro-endophenotype measures between patients, first degree relatives (FDR) and healthy controls., 2) To identify cellular phenotypes which differentiate the groups., 3) To examine the longitudinal course of neuro-endophenotype measures., 4) To identify measures which correlate with outcome, and 5) To create a unified digital database and biorepository. METHODS: The identification of the index participants will occur at well-established specialty clinics. The selected individuals will have a strong family history (with at least another affected FDR) of mental illness. We will also recruit healthy controls without family history of such illness. All recruited individuals (N = 4500) will undergo brief clinical assessments and a blood sample will be drawn for isolation of DNA and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). From among this set, a subset of 1500 individuals (300 families and 300 controls) will be assessed on several additional assessments [detailed clinical assessments, endophenotype measures (neuroimaging- structural and functional, neuropsychology, psychophysics-electroencephalography, functional near infrared spectroscopy, eye movement tracking)], with the intention of conducting repeated measurements every alternate year. PBMCs from this set will be used to generate lymphoblastoid cell lines, and a subset of these would be converted to induced pluripotent stem cell lines and also undergo whole exome sequencing. DISCUSSION: We hope to identify unique and overlapping brain endophenotypes for major psychiatric syndromes. In a proportion of subjects, we expect these neuro-endophenotypes to progress over time and to predict treatment outcome. Similarly, cellular assays could differentiate cell lines derived from such groups. The repository of biomaterials as well as digital datasets of clinical parameters, will serve as a valuable resource for the broader scientific community who wish to address research questions in the area.

Ethical and legal issues in cross-system practice in India: Past, present and future.

Recent changes in policies allowing practitioners of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to integrate into the mainstream of healthcare and also allowing practitioners of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy to perform medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) under the proposed amendment to the MTP bill have brought crosssystem practice into the limelight. We evaluate cross-system practice from its legal and ethical perspectives. Across judgments, the judiciary has held that cross-system practice is a form of medical negligence; however, it is permitted only in those states where the concerned governments have authorized it by a general or special order. Further, though a state government may authorize an alternative medicine doctor to prescribe allopathic medicines (or vice versa), it does not condone the prescription of wrong medicines or wrong diagnosis. Courts have also stated that prescribing allopathic medicines and misrepresenting these as traditional medicines is an unfair trade practice and not explaining the side-effects of a prescribed allopathic medicine amounts to medical negligence. Finally, the Supreme Court has cautioned that employing traditional medical practitioners who do not possess the required skill and competence to give allopathic treatment in hospitals and to let an emergency patient be treated by them is gross negligence. In the event of an unwanted outcome, the responsibility is completely on the hospital authorities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to abolish cross-system practice, invest in healthcare, and bring radical changes in health legislations to make right to healthcare a reality.

Suicide attempts in schizophrenia - A large retrospective cohort study from a tertiary care psychiatry centre in India.

The extent of variability in identified risk factors for suicide attempts (SA) in schizophrenia limits their generalization. This study aimed to identify the rates and associated correlates of SA in schizophrenia by reviewing a large cohort (n=500). Nearly one-fourth had a history of SA, which was independently associated with a family history of SA, more inpatient admissions, and better long-term treatment response. These findings highlight the complex interaction between biological factors influencing SA and illness determinants in schizophrenia. Furthermore, they reinforce the need for future research to unravel the association between suicide vulnerability and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia to attenuate morbidity and mortality associated with the same.

Shared deficits of education, marital and occupational functioning in unaffected siblings of multiple affected families with major psychiatric illness.

BACKGROUND: Major psychiatric illnesses often cluster in families, and their impact on affected and unaffected members within families may reflect the consequence of both genetic and social liability. METHODS: Data was derived from 202 families with multiple affected individuals. Affected individuals (N = 259) had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or substance use disorder. For comparison, we used the unaffected siblings from the same families (N = 229) and a matched random subset of healthy control (HC) data (N = 229) from India's National Mental Health Survey, 2016 (NMHS). We compared the three groups' educational attainment, functional marital status, and occupational status. RESULTS: The highest educational attainment was significantly different between the groups. The affected and unaffected siblings had poorer educational attainment compared to HC. Similarly, the affected and unaffected siblings more often remained single, in contrast to HC. Moreover, employment rates were significantly higher in the unaffected siblings, especially female siblings. Overall, females had spent fewer years at school, were primarily married, and were majority homemakers across the three groups compared to males. DISCUSSION: Affected and unaffected siblings had lower education and marriage rates than HC. The unaffected siblings were more likely to be employed than HC. Whether the poor educational attainment and lower marriage rates in unaffected siblings is a biological marker of shared endophenotype or the effect of the social burden of having an affected family member requires further systematic evaluation.

Reproductive rights of women with intellectual disability in India.

The reproductive rights of women with intellectual disability (WID) are a matter of concern for all stakeholders, including the woman herself, caregivers, guardians and her treating physicians. The judicial system often calls upon psychiatrists to opine regarding the "capacity to consent" of a WID to procedures such as medical termination of pregnancy and permanent sterilisation. Apart from physical and obstetric examinations, assessment of mental status and intelligence quotient (IQ) are also carried out to facilitate an understanding of the above issue. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, (RPwD) and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, elucidate what constitutes free and informed consent as well as how to assess capacity. The assessment process of "capacity to consent" to reproductive system procedures among WID is important and can guide clinicians. Before assessing capacity, the treating physicians should educate a WID with appropriate information on the proposed procedure, its risks and benefits through various means of communication and then evaluate the "capacity to consent" to the procedure. This article summarises the provisions of the existing legislations on the reproductive rights of WID and puts forward guidance for clinicians on how to approach the issue.

Patterns of Impaired Neurocognitive Performance on the Global Neuropsychological Assessment, and Their Brain Structural Correlates in Recent-onset and Chronic Schizophrenia.

Objective: Schizophrenia is associated with impairment in multiple cognitive domains. There is a paucity of research on the effect of prolonged illness duration (≥ 15 years) on cognitive performance along multiple domains. In this pilot study, we used the Global Neuropsychological Assessment (GNA), a brief cognitive battery, to explore the patterns of cognitive impairment in recent-onset (≤ 2 years) compared to chronic schizophrenia (≥ 15 years), and correlate cognitive performance with brain morphometry in patients and healthy adults. Methods: We assessed cognitive performance in patients with recent-onset (n = 17, illness duration ≤ 2 years) and chronic schizophrenia (n = 14, duration ≥ 15 years), and healthy adults (n = 16) using the GNA and examined correlations between cognitive scores and gray matter volumes computed from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging images. Results: We observed cognitive deficits affecting multiple domains in the schizophrenia samples. Selectively greater impairment of perceptual comparison speed was found in adults with chronic schizophrenia (p = 0.009, η2partial = 0.25). In the full sample (n = 47), perceptual comparison speed correlated significantly with gray matter volumes in the anterior and medial temporal lobes (TFCE, FWE p < 0.01). Conclusion: Along with generalized deficit across multiple cognitive domains, selectively greater impairment of perceptual comparison speed appears to characterize chronic schizophrenia. This pattern might indicate an accelerated or premature cognitive aging. Anterior-medial temporal gray matter volumes especially of the left hemisphere might underlie the impairment noted in this domain in schizophrenia.

Fitness to re-join job: Neuropsychiatric perspective.

Objectives: Evaluating "Fitness to Re-join Job" and certification in persons with Neuro-Psychiatric Disorders is an indispensable professional responsibility. However, there is little documented guidance on clinically approaching this particular issue. This study aimed to study the sociodemographic, clinical, and employment profile of patients who sought fitness to re-join their job from the tertiary neuropsychiatric center. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bengaluru, India. A retrospective chart review was adapted for the purpose. One hundred and two case files referred to medical board for fitness to rejoin the duty were reviewed from January 2013 to December 2015. Apart from the descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to test the association between categorical variables. Results: Patients' mean (standard deviation) age was 40.1 (10.1) years; 85.3% were married, and 91.2% were male. Common reasons for seeking "fitness certification" were work absenteeism (46.1%), illness affecting the work (27.4%), and varied reasons (28.4%). The presence of neurological disorders, sensory-motor deficits, cognitive decline, brain damage/insult, poor drug compliance, irregular follow-ups, and poor or partial treatment response were associated with an unfitness to rejoin the job. Conclusion: This study shows that work absenteeism and the impact of illness on work are common reasons for referral. Irreversible neurobehavioural problems and deficits impacting work are common reasons for unfitness to rejoin the job. There is a need for a systematic schedule to assess the fitness for the job in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Study on covert administration of medications practices among persons with severe mental illness: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Covert administration of medication (CoAdM) by caregivers to persons with severe mental illness (SMI) is a commonly observed medication delivery practice in India. AIMS: This study aims to examine different medication delivery practices adopted by caregivers to provide care to SMI at times of medication refusal. METHOD: This study was conducted at the outpatient department between April 2019 and November 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview the caregivers of persons with SMI to assess medication delivery practices. RESULTS: A total of 300 caregivers were interviewed. CoAdM was practiced in 96 (32.0%) persons with SMI at least once during their lifetime, and other strategies used were pleading (n = 105, 35.0%), lying (n = 10, 3.3%), and threatening (n = 154, 51.4%). Logistic regression showed that male gender (OR 4.75; CI 1.37-16.46), absent insight (OR 10.0; CI 2.01-47.56), and poor adherence to medication (OR 4.75; CI 1.31-16.92) were significantly associated with CoAdM in the last 1 year. Caregivers perceived significant improvement in self-care (Z = -4.37, p < .01), interpersonal (Z = -7.61, p < .01), work (Z = -5.9, p < .01), family functioning (Z = -7.82, p < .01) difficult behavior (Z = -8.27, p < .01), and dependency (Z = -6.34, p < .01) in persons with SMI with use of CoAdM. CONCLUSIONS: CoAdM was given to one in three persons with SMI at some point in their lives. Male gender, absent insight and poor adherence were predictive of CoAdM in the last 1 year. Caregiver perceived improvements in self-care, work, interpersonal, family functioning, problem behaviors, and dependency after CoAdM. Policies need to be evolved to serve all stakeholders while keeping these practices in mind.