The lifetime prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescents and young adults around the world is currently estimated to range from 5% to 70%, with an Indian study reporting no depression among college going adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine prevalence of current depressive, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms on a Dimensional and Categorical basis among young adults in Ranchi city of India. A stratified sample of 500 students was selected to be representative of the city's college going population (n = 50,000) of which 405 were taken up for final analysis. Data were obtained using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale to assess symptoms on dimensional basis and using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to diagnose on categorical basis. Mean age of students was 19.3 years with an average education of 14.7 years. Ranging from mild to extremely severe, depressive symptoms were present in 18.5% of the population, anxiety in 24.4%, and stress in 20%. Clinical depression was present in 12.1% and generalized anxiety disorder in 19.0%. Comorbid anxiety and depression was high, with about 87% of those having depression also suffering from anxiety disorder. Detecting depressive, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms in the college population is a critical preventive strategy, which can help in preventing disruption to the learning process. Health policies must integrate young adults' depression, stress, and anxiety as a disorder of public health significance.

Substance use in mentally ill patients is now a major problem that influences the course and outcome of psychosis. With prevalence ranging up to 60%, several theories were postulated to explain the link. It would be interesting to know if substances have different effects in persons with psychosis than in those without. This study aimed to explore patterns of symptomatology of dependence and comorbid psychiatric illness by comparing and contrasting it with a group suffering from pure substance dependence. Consecutively admitted patients who were matched for age, sex, and tobacco use were divided into 3 groups. These were substance dependence without any comorbid psychiatric disorder (SD; n = 32), schizophrenia with substance dependence (SC; n = 31), and bipolar disorder with substance dependence (BD; n = 31). Patients were administered the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory (MINI) to evaluate the chronology of criterion of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 dependence. Results showed that cannabis was the most common substance used by both the SC (100%) and BD (80%) groups. This was followed by alcohol as the most common substance used, with prevalence of 87% in SC and 77% in BD groups. There was a significant difference in the pattern of use of cannabis in patients with psychosis, who developed tolerance much faster (P = .018) and had longer durations of cannabis use (P = .001) than the SD group. The presence of "loss of control" over drug use criterion seems to be a specific marker predicting development of dependence and psychosis. Cannabis use is more strongly associated with development of psychosis than any other substance.

Background:Consumption of alcohol has been attributed to different reasons by consumers. Attitude and knowledge about the substance and addiction can be influenced by the cultural background of the individual. The tribal population, where alcohol intake is culturally accepted, can have different beliefs and attributes causing one to take alcohol. This study attempts to examine the reasons for alcohol intake and the belief about addiction and their effect on the severity of addiction in people with a different ethnic background.Materials and Methods:The study was conducted at a Psychiatric institute with a cross-sectional design. The study population included patients hailing from the Jharkhand state, twenty each, belonging to tribal and non-tribal communities. Patients fulfilling the ICD 10 diagnostic criteria of mental and behavioral disorders due to the alcohol dependence syndrome, with active dependence, were taken, excluding those having any comorbidity or complications. The subjects were assessed with specially designed Sociodemographic-Clinical Performa, modified version of Reasons for Substance Use scale, Addiction Belief scale, and the Alcohol Dependence scale.Statistical Analysis and Results:A significantly high number of tribals cited reasons associated with social enhancement and coping with distressing emotions rather than individual enhancement, as a reason for consuming alcohol. Addiction was severe in those consuming alcohol to cope with distressing emotions. Belief in the free-will model was noted to be stronger across the cultures, without any correlation with the reason for intake. This cross-sectional study design, which was based on patients, cannot be easily generalized to the community.Conlusion:Societal acceptance and pressure as well as high emotional problems appears to be the major etiology leading to higher prevalce of substance depedence in tribals. Primary prevention should be planned to fit the needs of the ethnics.

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