Mental health literacy on youth depression and suicides for teachers and its impact on knowledge, attitudes and help facilitation: A preliminary study.

Background: Depression and suicide are among the most prevalent mental health problems among the adolescents in India. However, help seeking is very poor due to lack of knowledge on mental health among youth and significant individuals in their life. Imparting knowledge to teachers becomes important as youth spend most of their time in the educational set up. The present study aimed at examining the effect of mental health literacy on depression and suicidal behaviours on knowledge, attitudes and help facilitation of teachers. Materials and Methods: The study adopted a stratified sampling method and a sample (N = 102) of high school teachers (8th-12th standard) from both private and government institutions in Bangalore were included in the study. A pre- and post-assessment, single group design with a follow-up after 3 months was adopted. Data were collected using the socio-demographic data sheet and questionnaire prepared to assess the knowledge, attitudes and help facilitation. Results: The mean age of the teachers was 41.74 years, with 80% female respondents and 58.8% of the sample with master's degrees and diplomas in teaching. There was a significant increase in knowledge about the symptoms, consequences of depression and attitude toward depression and suicide. About 16% of the sample had taken steps to help students with distress and facilitated help seeking at 3-month follow-up. Conclusion: Mental health literacy programme has positive impact on the knowledge and helps in improving support and help facilitation behaviours among teachers.

Effectiveness of IADL interventions to improve functioning in persons with Schizophrenia: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are activities that are needed to live an independent life. Psychotic disorders are associated with deficits in everyday functioning, causing impairment/disability in activities of daily living. Activities play a crucial role to measure functional health or disability. People with Schizophrenia often present difficulties in social and occupational reintegration that may be associated with problems in performing daily activities, including independent living, education, working, and socializing. Activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living (life skills training) including leisure and social skills training intended to reintegrate the patient into the community to lead an everyday life. AIM: The aim of this review was to identify the effect of skill-based interventions on independent functioning in persons with Schizophrenia. METHODS: The authors conducted database searches of Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, EBSCO from 1st January 1992 to 31st December 2020. The researcher extracted data, and the quality of included studies was rated by two authors independently. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) tool for assessing the quality of selected studies. The search identified nine studies that met the inclusion criteria with 655 participants. The outcome measure was independent functioning skills. RESULTS: The interventions in the review were multifaceted with different combinations of psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral methods, training in social skills, and IADL. The interventions resulted in significant improvement in functioning skills and reduction in relapse rates. CONCLUSION: Results of this review have revealed moderate to strong evidence for skills training, either behavioral or social skills to improve social and independent functioning, reduce caregiver burden, and improve negative symptoms. The review also supported that interventions could be generalized across settings.

Predictors of non-suicidal and suicidal self-injurious behaviours, among adolescents and young adults in urban India.

BACKGROUND: The complex intersections between non-suicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behaviours; like cutting, burning or self-hitting, and suicide attempts, are an important domain of enquiry among vulnerable adolescents and young adults. A cross-sectional survey in urban schools and colleges assessed the rates of self-injurious behaviour among Indian adolescents and young adults. Predictors of NSSI and of self-injurious behaviours with associated suicidal intent, were also examined. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The sample comprised 1571 male and female students, from 19 private and government aided high schools, pre-university colleges and undergraduate colleges in an urban city in South India. Participants completed the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation which assesses the methods, characteristics and functions of self-injurious acts in the past 12 months. The measures of psychopathology included the Youth Self-Report and the Young-Adult Self-Report. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results indicated that rate of NSSI was 33.8%, with minor forms of self-injury reported more often (19.4%) than the moderate/severe forms (14.6%). A smaller proportion (6.8%) reported self-injurious acts with associated suicidal intent. Certain self-injury characteristics and levels of internalizing and externalizing problems differentiated self-injuring youth with and without suicidal intent. Logistic regression analyses identified predictors of any self-injurious behaviour and of self-injury associated with suicidal intent. The implications for assessment and intervention frameworks for self-injuring youth are discussed.