Depressive and anxiety disorders among single mothers in Dhaka.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports revealed that the number of single mothers has been increasing day by day in Dhaka city; however, their psychological problems have not been studied yet. AIM: We aimed to see the proportion of single mothers having depressive and anxiety disorders. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted under the supervision of the Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka from August 2016 to July 2017. A total of 156 single mothers from three social strata, namely, lower-, middle- and upper-class group were included purposively. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of demography and structured clinical interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition, axis-I disorders, clinician version (SCID-I-CV) which were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. RESULTS: This study showed that the mean age of the single mothers was 34.8 ± 8.9 years. The overall 48.8% of single mothers had either depressive and/or anxiety disorders where 17.3% depressive disorder, 21.2% anxiety disorders and 10.3% had a dual diagnosis. Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were the most common specific diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This study provided us a sound background knowledge regarding psychiatric disorders among single mothers. This study shows the need for larger research on this issue and early detection would help them to improve the quality of life.

Demography and Risk Factors of Suicide in Bangladesh: A Six-Month Paper Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a global public health problem too often neglected by researchers and Bangladesh is not an exception. There is no suicide surveillance and nationwide study is yet to be conducted in the country. OBJECTIVES: This paper aimed to look into suicide based on newspaper reporting in Bangladesh focusing on the demographic variables and risk factors. METHODS: 6 national newspapers were scrutinized from November 2016 to April 2017. Data were checked, cross-checked, and then analyzed with SPSS software. RESULTS: In a duration of six months, a total of 271 cases were reported; age was found to be in the range of 11-70 years (26.67 ± 13.47). 61% of the reported cases were below 30 years of age, 58% were female, 24% were students, 17% were house makers, 61% were from rural background, and 45% were married. Hanging was found to be the commonest method (82.29%); marital and familial discord remained a noticeable risk factor (34.32%). Family members and neighbors noticed 103 cases, and only 3 cases were found to have suicide notes. CONCLUSION: Suicide is an underattended public health problem in Bangladesh with few researches and paucity of literature. Establishment of national suicide surveillance is now a time demanded step.

Burden of Misconception in Sexual Health Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Investigation among the Patients Attending a Psychiatric Sex Clinic of Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is a country in South Asia with about 160 million people and achieved health related Millennium Development Goals (MDG) significantly. But sexual health is still an untapped issue with predominant myths and misconception. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to look into the proportions of patients attending sexual health care services due to misconceptions. METHODS: The descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 patients attending Psychiatric Sex Clinic (PSC) of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Respondents were included in the study with convenient sampling from November 2016 to March 2017. Data were collected through face-to-face interview with semistructured preformed, pretested questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS software 16.0 version. RESULTS: Most of the patients (93%) were male, 60% were married, 62% were urban habitant, 42% were under grade 10, and 33% were service holder. Total 55% of the patients had misconceptions and 29% visited only for misconception; 14% had Premature Ejaculation; and 12% had desire disorder. 32% of the patients had psychiatric disorders and among them depression was most common, 13%. CONCLUSION: Positive openness in sexual health and appropriate strategy should be taken to improve the quality of sexual life as well as reduce the misconception in the people of Bangladesh.