Neuroleptic malignant syndrome in an elderly with quetiapine: A case report and review of literature

Over the years, there is an increase in the prescription of antipsychotics among elderly patients, and these are used for various clinical indications such as psychotic disorders, affective disorders, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and delirium. Quetiapine is one of the preferred antipsychotics among elderly because of its safety profile. However, quetiapine has been rarely been associated with the development of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) among elderly. In this report, we discuss a case of NMS in a 70-year-old female, who developed symptoms of NMS at the dose of 200 mg/day, while quetiapine was being used along with lithium. A review of literature suggests that there are 12 cases of NMS reported in subjects older than 55 years of age

Don't forget me: Pseudodementia associated with depression

Pseudodementia is understood as a clinical state, which occurs in the background of psychiatric disorders and mimics dementia. These patients are often diagnosed and treated as dementia, while the underlying disorder remains unrecognized and untreated. In this report, we discuss a patient suffering from depressive pseudodementia, who was previously treated as suffering from dementia. Management of depression with venlafaxine and electroconvulsive therapy was associated with significant improvement in functioning and behavior

Unusual cases of succubus: A cultural phenomenon manifesting as part of psychopathology

Succubus is also known as demon female lover who approaches males in their dreams to have sex. This is the phenomenon which is rarely described in psychiatric literature. It is more identified as a cultural belief in different religions. We report the two cases diagnosed with schizophrenia, who reported this rare phenomenon of succubus as part of their psychopathology and discuss the phenomenon of succubus

Trends in use of electroconvulsive therapy among geriatric patients over a period of 9 years at a tertiary care center in North India

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an important modality of treatment for various psychiatric disorders in all age groups. The trends of use of ECT in the elderly population have not been studied despite wide variation in the utilization of this treatment modality. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the trends in use of ECT in geriatric patients at a tertiary care center over a period of 9 years. Methodology: Data were extracted from the departmental registry for the period of 2008–2016 to evaluate the total number of new patients attending the psychiatric services, total number of new elderly (i.e., ≥60 years) patients attending the psychiatric services, total number of inpatients, total number of elderly inpatients, total number of patients who received ECT, and total number of elderly patients who received ECT. Results: During the period of 2008–2016, elderly formed from 4.6% to 19.11% of the total number of patients who received ECT. There was an upward trend in the proportion of elderly patients receiving ECT, with a nearly 10-fold rise in absolute number and doubling of the percentage of elderly patients among those receiving ECT. Over the years, there was an increase in use of ECT among elderly inpatients and use of ECT as an outpatient treatment for elderly. Conclusion: Over the years, there has been increase in the absolute number as well as proportion of elderly patients receiving ECT. There is a significant increase in the use of ECT among elderly at the outpatient basis

Hindi Adaptation of Centrality of Religiosity Scale

Although religiosity is part and parcel of life of most Indians, no standardized scale is available in local language which can make findings comparable with other countries’. This study aims to present the adaptations required in the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS, CRSi-20) for the Indian population. Additionally, the study aimed to compare the religiosity as assessed by using CRS among healthy subjects and those with first-episode depression. CRS was translated to Hindi by following the methodology suggested by the World Health Organization. During the process of translation, the scale was adapted to suit to the sociocultural milieu of India. The adapted Hindi version of the scale was used in 80 healthy subjects and 80 patients with first-episode depression. During the process of translation, 14 out of 20 items required adaptations to suit the religious practices in India. The adaptation primarily involved elaboration on certain aspects of religious services and practices, keeping in mind the polytheistic religious beliefs in India. When the adapted Hindi version of CRS was used in both the study groups, there was no significant difference between the two groups, in terms of CRS total scores (t = 1.12; p = 0.26). In terms of various domains of CRS, a significantly higher score was observed in the depression group for the ideology domain (t = 2.02; p = 0.04 *), whereas the healthy group had a significantly higher score for the domain of public practice (t = 2.90; p = 0.004 **). Use of CRS in the Indian context requires some adaptations to suit the religious practices. There are minor differences in the religiosity of patients with depression and healthy subjects