Background:Exponential use of internet has resulted in internet addiction in recent times. Students are particularly at risk because of their unique personal, social, and academic needs.Objectives:The study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of internet addiction and its determinants among medical students.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in 282 medical students with the help of semi-structured questionnaire consisting of questions related to demographic information, information related to internet use, and Young's internet addiction test.Results:We found prevalence of internet addiction among medical students to be 58.87% (mild – 51.42%, moderate –7.45%) and significantly associated factors with internet addiction being male gender, staying in private accommodation, lesser age of first internet use, using mobile for internet access, higher expenditure on internet, staying online for longer time, and using internet for social networking, online videos, and watching website with sexual content.Conclusion:Medical students are vulnerable for internet addiction and efforts should be taken to increase awareness and prevent the problem of internet addiction in them.

Background:There has been an exponential growth in the number of elderly population in India. This study aims to determine the prevalence of dementia in an urban center of Pune and to evaluate the corresponding socio-demographic correlates along with psychiatric morbidity in the study sample.Materials and Methods:The study population in Pune and Kirkee cantonments was selected based on 2001 census data. The number of people over 65 years numbered 6721 and 2145 of them were randomly selected for a door-to-door survey. They were initially administered household questionnaire and then subjected to a screening tool. Each participant underwent a brief mental state examination and data was collected on the basis of a structured proforma. Patients underwent a detailed cognitive profile using subtests from CSI-D (community screening instrument – dementia), which included a Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) word list, word fluency and delayed recall. Information pertaining to socio-demographic factors in participants and caregivers, caregiver-burden and behavioral and psychological symptoms in participants too were collected from the questionnaire. Radio imaging investigation was also carried out to quantify the deficit. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to compute the results.Results:Findings revealed that prevalence of dementia in the sample population of elderly aged above 65 years was 4.1%. Socio-demographic factors which conferred a statistically higher risk for dementia were identified to be older age, low socio-economic status, low level of education, presence of family history, whereas, marriage was found to be protective. Burden of care was associated with caring for elderly with dementia with increasing severity of dementia. Patients with dementia performed poorly on cognitive test battery. Social network had a protective effect in respect with severity of dementia. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) majority of cases of Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VaD) were noted to have both gray and white matter involvement.Conclusion:Poor awareness is a key public-health problem. Society plays an important role in the ageing process. The withdrawal of the elderly from the previous societal roles,reduction in all types of interactions i.e. shift of attention from outer world to the inner world, reduction in the power and prestige of the elderly enhance aging process. Aging in Indian culture though a disability is much stressful today in Indian culture as in others.

Treatment with SSRI's had shown significant changes in clinical conditions. However these changes did not relate significantly with serum serotonin levels.

Background:Treatment nonadherence is a major obstacle in the successful management of schizophrenia. Finding out factors associated with nonadherence and the reasons for nonadherence are important to improve treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia. This study was conceived to evaluate treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia and the factors associated with it.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in 50 consecutive patients with schizophrenia with the help of semi-structured pro forma consisting of sociodemographic details, information regarding illness and treatment history, (PANSS), and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 to assess medication adherence. Nonadherent patients were further assessed for their reasons for nonadherence.Results:Among the patients, 52% were low adherers (nonadherers). Factors associated with nonadherence were younger age of patients, male gender, low household income, higher PANSS score (positive, negative, and total score), lower grades of insight, lack of family history of psychiatric illness, responsibility of taking self-medications, first-generation antipsychotics, and number of drugs in prescription. Major reason for nonadherence given by patients were adverse effects of medications, treatment perceived as ineffective, financial problems, shame and stigma about illness and treatment, regarding treatment unnecessary and difficulty to access health-care facility.Conclusion:Our study established high proportion of nonadherence in patients with schizophrenia and also brought out factors associated and reasons for nonadherence. Adequate psychoeducation of patients and their caretakers as well as psychosocial interventions, strengthening mental health infrastructure, and community mental health services will significantly improve treatment adherence.

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