Meditation-A Slippery Slope for Psychosis: A Case Series With Review of Evidence.

ABSTRACT: The practice of meditation has been traditionally viewed as a self-regulatory approach that aids in psychological well-being. Over the last decade, mindfulness-based meditation has gained a separate therapeutic significance in various mental health conditions. There has also been considerable understanding of the adverse effects of meditation over the years. Despite this, there is still underreporting of the altered behavioral presentations arising possibly because of intensive and unguided meditation practices. We present two cases of meditation-related psychosis with different clinical presentations. The write-up highlights the need for tailoring the meditation practices after evaluation of mental state of the individuals and early detection of "at-risk" mental states. There should be regular screening of emergence of any unwanted effects during the course of meditation and the guides should be able to detect the early warning signs of psychosis.

Assessment of Periodontal Status in Patients with Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Depression leads to behavioral and systemic changes making individuals more susceptible to inflammatory diseases. This study was conducted to assess the periodontal status of patients with clinically diagnosed mild and moderate depression. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 135 participants. Test group 1 (n = 45) consisted of patients clinically diagnosed with mild depression, test group 2 (n = 45) included patients with moderate depression and the control group (n = 45) included non-depressive participants. Sociodemographic characteristics and periodontal parameters were recorded. RESULTS: Plaque levels and gingival inflammation were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in mild and moderate depression patients than in controls. Significant greater number of sites with bleeding on probing, increasing probing pocket depth (PPD), sites with PPD 4-5 mm, ≥6 mm, attachment loss 3-4 mm, and high prevalence with grade C periodontitis were observed in moderate depression patients, compared to patients with mild depression and healthy controls. On applying partial correlation, periodontal parameters were positively correlated with depression, while a negative correlation was found with income status. On regression analysis, bleeding on probing as a dependent variable was also associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with moderate depression showed high periodontal destruction and inflammation as compared to those with mild depression. Further, deep pockets were associated with depressive patients. Periodontal care is required in such patients so that the progression of periodontal diseases can be prevented at the earliest.

Undergraduate psychiatry in India: A SWOT analysis.

Psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent and remains a huge burden on the society. In spite of that persons with mental illness are marginalized and mental health is largely being neglected. There is an acute shortage of mental health professionals in India, and also there is inadequate exposure to psychiatry during the medical undergraduate training in India. Moreover, the perception towards psychiatry and psychiatrists is not favorable among medical fraternity and policy makers. This is reflected in the fact that in spite of clearly deficient undergraduate psychiatry curriculum, no steps have been taken towards improving it and recommendations are not being implemented in true spirit. This review tries to identify the gaps in undergraduate curriculum, present a SWOT analysis of current situation and recommend the possible ways to address the deficiencies particularly in India.

Comparative study of efficacy of l-5-hydroxytryptophan and fluoxetine in patients presenting with first depressive episode.

INTRODUCTION: Role of l-5-hydroxytryptophan (l-5-HTP) in depression is relatively less studied but the literature has shown its robust role in depression. The present randomized double blind study was undertaken to assess the role of l-5-HTP as an antidepressant and to compare its antidepressant efficacy with fluoxetine in first depressive episode patients of Indian population. METHODS: A total of 70 patients of first depressive episode, all of whom were diagnosed with ICD-10 criteria, were recruited but only 60 patients completed the study and were randomly divided into two groups, receiving l-5-HTP and fluoxetine, respectively, for a period of 8weeks. All patients were administered Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) to assess severity of depression at baseline, 2weeks, 4weeks and 8weeks. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by comparing HAM-D scores obtained at these examinations with the baseline examination; final evaluation of both efficacy and tolerance was assessed using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale at the end of study. RESULTS: Both treatment groups showed significant and nearly equal reduction in HAM-D scores beginning at week two and continuing through week eight. Twenty-two patients (73.33%) in the l-5-HTP group and 24 patients (80%) in the fluoxetine group showed positive response at the end of the study. CONCLUSION: l-5-HTP has definitely got antidepressant effect in patients of depression. Antidepressant effect was seen within 2weeks of treatment and was apparent in all degrees of depression. The therapeutic efficacy of l-5-HTP was considered as equal to that of fluoxetine.