Introduction:Substance abuse may act as precursors and also can form outcomes of sexual behaviors. The confluence of drug use, mental stressors, poverty, sexually transmitted diseases, low self-esteem and high-risk partners forms a fertile ground for psychological morbidity.Aim:To assess the psychological morbidity among female commercial sex workers (CSWs) who use alcohol and other substance abuse.Materials and Methods:One hundred consecutive CSWs with alcohol and drug abuse patients attending the psychiatric OPD at Victoria hospital were assessed clinically. Relevant investigations were also carried out. General health questionnaire and substance use disorder identification tests were administered.Results:A total of 100 cases between 30-40 years of age were taken up for the study. All were abusing alcohol with tobacco chewing or smoking being (64). Eighty-seven were married. Fifty of them being illiterate. Seventy-eight were suffering from physical illness. Two were HIV patient on treatment. Seventy-eight were having psychological morbidity (depression and adjustment disorder).Conclusion:Preventive interventions, targeting substance abuse and stimulating healthier-environments and providing economically independent.

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BACKGROUND A number of psychiatric morbidities are known to contribute to risky sexual behaviour. Recent studies have explored the link between psychiatric morbidity and risky sexual behaviour. This study is aimed to find the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity and associated high-risk sexual behaviour among female sex workers and the prevalence of STI's in the population. MATERIALS AND METHODS 96 consenting female sex workers were recruited into the study and were administered the following questionnaires-MINI neuropsychiatric interview, HIV Risk Behaviour Scale (HRBS), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale (PSLES). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS V19. RESULTS They had significantly higher prevalence of risky sexual behaviours (p= 0.02), depression (p= 0.04), stress levels (p= 0.001) and overall prevalence of STI's (p= 0.03). CONCLUSION There is a high prevalence of STI's and risky sexual behaviours among female sex workers. This could be accounted for by higher psychiatric comorbidities such as depression, drug abuse, higher stress, which is less frequently understood. Future studies should look at high-risk sexual behaviour as a possible preventive factor for STIs in this population.

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BACKGROUND Symptoms of ADHD continue to be present in two-thirds of individuals in adulthood. Around 2%-8% of college going adolescents have ADHD symptoms. Sexual experimentation usually begins in adolescence with multiple psychosocial factors contributing to its initiation. ADHD is known to be associated with risky sexual behaviour. This study was undertaken to find the prevalence of ADHD and risky sexual behaviour and its association with impulsivity, positive and negative affect in college going young adult males. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was a cross-sectional study done in 3 colleges in Bangalore city; 305 self-report questionnaires were distributed after stratified random sampling, of which 270 responded. The questionnaires included a sociodemographic questionnaire, Adult ADHD Self-Report Rating Scale (ASRS), Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS). For those who scored above the cutoff on both ASRS and WURS, Positive and Negative Affect Rating Scale (PANAS) and Barratt's impulsivity scale-11 (BIS-11) were administered to measure impulsivity and positive and negative affect. Analysis was done using SPSS V-19. RESULTS The prevalence of ADHD in our sample of college going male students was 14.81% (n = 40). Those with ADHD had lower scores in preceding exam (p = 0.0006) and had higher prevalence of substance use than those without ADHD (p = 0.0001). Overall, the prevalence of any risky sexual behaviour was 42.5% (n = 17) in those with ADHD as compared to 13.91% (n = 32) in those without ADHD. Those with ADHD had higher prevalence of multiple sex partners, lower rates of condom use and sex with strangers. Those with ADHD had higher negative affect (p = 0.03), but not higher positive affect or impulsivity than those without ADHD. CONCLUSION There was a high prevalence of ADHD in college going young adult males who had higher risky sexual behaviour than those without ADHD. Negative affect predicted risky sexual behaviour in this sample.