Gender and community views of stigma and tuberculosis in rural Maharashtra, India.

Stigma associated with tuberculosis (TB) is often regarded as a barrier to health seeking and a cause of social suffering. Stigma studies are typically patient-centred, and less is known about the views of communities where patients reside. This study examined community perceptions of TB-related stigma. A total of 160 respondents (80 men and 80 women) without TB in the general population of Western Maharashtra, India, were interviewed using Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue interviews with same-sex and cross-sex vignettes depicting a person with typical features of TB. The study clarified features of TB-related stigma. Concealment of disease was explained as fear of losing social status, marital problems and hurtful behaviour by the community. For the female vignette, heredity was perceived as a cause for stigmatising behaviour. Marital problems were anticipated more for the male vignette. Anticipation of spouse support, however, was more definite for men and conditional for women, indicating the vulnerability of women. Community views acknowledged that both men and women with TB share a psychological burden of unfulfilled social responsibilities. The distinction between public health risks of infection and unjustified social isolation (stigma) was ambiguous. Such a distinction is important for effective community-based interventions for early diagnosis of TB and successful treatment.

Biomedical markers and psychiatric morbidity of neurasthenia spectrum disorders in four outpatient clinics in India.

CONTEXT: Disorders of unexplained fatigue are researched globally and debated prominently concerning their biomedical and psychiatric comorbidity. Such studies are needed in India. AIMS: To identify biomedical markers and psychiatric morbidity of disorders of severe unexplained fatigue or weakness with disability, designated neurasthenia spectrum disorders (NSDs). To compare biomedical markers of patients with controls. To study correlation between biomedical markers and psychiatric morbidity. SETTINGS: Four specialty outpatient clinics of Psychiatry, Medicine, Dermatology, and Ayurved of an urban general hospital. DESIGN: Case-control study for biomedical markers. Diagnostic interviews for assessment of psychiatric morbidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients (N = 352) were recruited using screening criteria and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV screening module. They were compared with controls (N = 38) for relevant biomedical markers. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed with SCID-I interviews, Hamilton scales, and Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90). Correlations between a nutritional index and axis I morbidity were studied. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Frequencies and means of biomedical markers and psychiatric diagnoses were compared and associations assessed with regression analysis. RESULTS: Corrected arm muscle area (CAMA) was significantly lower among patients (P < 0.001), but not anemia. Anxiety (73.0%) and somatoform (61.4%) disorders, especially nonspecific diagnoses, were more frequent than depressive disorders (55.4%). Generally, Hamilton and SCL scores were lowest in Ayurved clinic, and highest in Psychiatry clinic. Presence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and adjustment disorders correlated with low nutritional index. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition or de-conditioning that may explain weakness need to be considered in the management of NSDs in India, particularly with comorbid GAD or adjustment disorders. Weakness and anxiety, rather than fatigue and depression, are distinct features of Indian patients. SCL may be more useful than categorical diagnoses in NSDs. NSDs are an independent entity with nonspecific psychiatric comorbidity. Cross clinic differences among patients with similar complaints highlight need for idiographic studies.