PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY

Background Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a public health problem that tends to take dimensions of epidemic and has serious impact on quality of patient's life. Aim The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychiatric morbidity in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing haemodialysis. Materials and Methods This study enrolled 130 chronic kidney disease patients undergoing haemodialysis. Psychological characteristics of the patients were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Results The mean age of patients undergoing haemodialysis were 53years ± 13.9 and the mean age of male were 52.79 yrs± 13.9 and female were 53.37yrs ± 12.8.9.The results of renal dysfunction showed mean 2.99 yrs± 3.12, with mean duration of male is 3.23 ± 3.5 yrs and female is 2.57yrs ± 2.2.40% of patients (n=52) were diagnosed with psychiatric illness, 27.69% male patients (n=36),12.3% female patients(n=16).The duration of renal disease (mean=2.99yrs) was compared with duration of psychiatric illness (mean=1.34yrs). It was observed that difference between the means is statistically significant (p = 0.02).The results showed that the mean duration of mental illness was 1.34yrs + 1.47. 69.2% were males (n=36), and 16, 30.8% were females. Most of the patients (n=25, 19.23%) diagnosed to have a psychiatric illness belonged to the age group of 40-60 yrs. The age of onset of renal disease in our sample was 50yrs+ 14.05 and the age of onset of psychiatric morbidity was 50.92 yrs+13.63. Conclusion The present study has been helpful in understanding the onset of psychiatric illness among the CKD patients undergoing haemodialysis. Keywords Psychiatric Morbidity, Dialysis, Chronic renal failure, Psychological factor

THE RELATION BETWEEN INTERNET, DEPRESSION, SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL ATTACHMENT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF HEALTH CARE INDIVIDUALS

Objective: To assess the internet use in health care individuals and its impact on depression, self-esteem and social attachment on cognitive function of health care individuals.Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey which included one hundred and ten healthcare individuals (Physician, Pharmacist, Psychologist, Social worker and Nurses) in this study conducted in Radianz healthcare and research private limited. Young's internet addiction test and depression score, self-esteem (Rosenberg's) score and MoCA were used to measure internet addiction and psychological variables. EPI 2012 was used for statistical analysis.Results: Out of 110 individuals, the majority of individuals, depressed individual were more addicted to the internet and found to be significant by using depression score. Relationship between baseline values and follow up values in internet addiction was significant (P=0.07636). After follow up the internet addiction found to be reduced as it was greatly affected in initial survey.Conclusion: This study concluded that there is relationship between the internet addiction and depression, cognitive function and self-steam. The depressed individuals were more addicted to the internet followed by abnormal cognitive function and low self-esteem individuals. Internet addiction may be a relevant clinical construct and early diagnostic tools that needs extensive research even in developing nations to explore the relationship. Depression is greatly associated with the internet addiction so if can we reduce the depression then can be reduced internet addiction

A Cross-Sectional Study on Smartphone Use among Children during COVID-19 Lockdown in Tamilnadu, India

Smartphones have made internet available at our fingertips. More children around the world are born mobile ready especially kids born after 2015 (Gen Alpha). The COVID induced lockdown had robbed children of other means of entertainment and combined with the easy access to smartphones due to the online classes, the overuse of smartphones is a concept of great concern to parents. An online survey was conducted in India among parents about the usage of smartphone in their children and the parents also filled out a self-constructed questionnaire to find the levels of smartphone addiction in their children. 1330 people participated in the study and their responses were used to analyze the various factors contributing to smartphone overuse. The amount of time spent in smartphone has increased exponentially during COVID 19 induced lockdown, with 14.7% of children spending 5 - 6 hours per day and a small percentage of children (3.3%) spending more than 9 hours per day. Children who owned a smartphone and adolescent children have higher scores in the smartphone addiction scale

The Relationship between Psychological Inflexibility and Academic Anxiety among School Children Preparing for their Board Exams: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Many school children experience psychological inflexibility, which leads to anxiety regarding their academic wellbeing, subsequently affecting their psychological well-being. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the relationship between psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety among school children, understand the sociodemographic characteristics of the selected participants, and identify significant mean differences in subgroups based on sociodemographic details in relation to psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety. Aim: To examine the relationship between psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety in students who were preparing for their board exams. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involved the selection of 348 school children from 9th to 12th grade in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, using simple random sampling. Data collection took place from March 2021 to June 2021. The study employed a 17-item Acceptance and Fusion Questionnaire (AFQ17), a 25-item academic anxiety scale, and a semi-structured interview schedule. The data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Services (SPSS) software, version 19.0. Descriptive statistics were used, and the Pearson's correlation method was employed to determine the relationship between variables. Additionally, a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to identify significant mean differences between demographic variables, with a 95% confidence level and p-value<0.05 considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of the total 348 participants, majority 184 (52.9%) were in the age group of 16 to 18 years. The results indicate a positive correlation (r=0.117, p<0.05) between the level of psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety among school children. Furthermore, significant relationships were found between psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety in terms of age and gender. Conclusion: The present study highlights a positive correlation between psychological inflexibility and academic anxiety. It emphasises the importance of raising awareness, promoting psychological flexibility, and reducing academic anxiety among school children

A cross-sectional study on the mental health of survivors of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, India

Background: The novel coronavirus COVID 19 has been having an impact on the mental health of people. Studies have shown that a considerable percentage of people who have recovered from the infection suffer from mental health issues. Hence, it is important to follow-up on the persons who have recovered from the illness so that adequate support is provided to aid in reducing morbidity due to the illness. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted among persons who had recovered from COVID-19 in a single hospital. Participants were contacted a month following their discharge from the hospital and they were encouraged to fill in the questionnaire containing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) scale and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) scale. The scores were analyzed for the presence of anxiety, depression, stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who had scores indicative of severe levels were encouraged to follow-up with the psychiatrists for appropriate treatment and therapy. RESULTS: The scores obtained in the DASS showed that 2.5% of the participants had scores indicative of severe levels of stress, 25.3% of the participants had scores indicative of severe anxiety, and 7.3% of the participants had scores indicative of severe levels of depression. The scores in the IES indicated that 15.1% of the participants indicated that there was a significant impact on their mental health due to the event and 17.2% of the participants had scores indicative of the presence of symptoms of PTSD. There is a strong correlation between the scores of IES and the degree of lung involvement. CONCLUSION: Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 are at risk at developing anxiety, depression, and PTSD