Psychiatric morbidity in December 2015 flood-affected population in Tamil Nadu, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailaja Bandla ◽  
NR Nappinnai ◽  
Srinivasagopalan Gopalasamy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Health Organization

Background: Floods are the most common type of natural disaster, which have a negative impact on mental health. Following floods, survivors are vulnerable to develop PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Aim: The aim is to study the psychiatric morbidity in the persons affected by floods during December 2015. Materials and methods: This study was carried out in Chennai and Cuddalore. In total, 223 persons who were directly exposed to floods were assessed. PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version, Beck’s Depression Inventory, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and World Health Organization–Five Well-Being Scale (WHO-5) were used in the study. Chi-square test was used to compare the means. Results: Overall, psychiatric morbidity was found to be 45.29%; 60 (26.9%) persons had symptoms of PTSD. Anxiety was found in 48 (27.4%) and depression was found in 101 (45.29%) persons; and 11 (4.9%) persons have reported an increase in substance abuse. Conclusion: Following disaster like floods, there is a need for better preparedness in terms of basic necessities and medical and psychological assistance, particularly emphasizing the needs of older persons in order to prevent the development of psychiatric problems.

The scale of the problem

Psychiatry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Price ◽  
John Geddes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Organization

One in four individuals suffer from a psychiatric disorder at some point in their life, with 15– 20 per cent fitting cri­teria for a mental disorder at any given time. The latter corresponds to around 450 million people worldwide, placing mental disorders as one of the leading causes of global morbidity. Mental health problems represent five of the ten leading causes of disability worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in mid 2016 that ‘the global cost of mental illness is £651 billion per year’, stating that the equivalent of 50 million working years was being lost annually due to mental disorders. The financial global impact is clearly vast, but on a smaller scale, the social and psychological impacts of having a mental dis­order on yourself or your family are greater still. It is often difficult for the general public and clin­icians outside psychiatry to think of mental health dis­orders as ‘diseases’ because it is harder to pinpoint a specific pathological cause for them. When confronted with this view, it is helpful to consider that most of medicine was actually founded on this basis. For ex­ample, although medicine has been a profession for the past 2500 years, it was only in the late 1980s that Helicobacter pylori was linked to gastric/ duodenal ul­cers and gastric carcinoma, or more recently still that the BRCA genes were found to be a cause of breast cancer. Still much of clinical medicine treats a patient’s symptoms rather than objective abnormalities. The WHO has given the following definition of mental health:… Mental health is defined as a state of well- being in which every individual realizes his or her own po­tential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.… This is a helpful definition, because it clearly defines a mental disorder as a condition that disrupts this state in any way, and sets clear goals of treatment for the clinician. It identifies the fact that a disruption of an individual’s mental health impacts negatively not only upon their enjoyment and ability to cope with life, but also upon that of the wider community.

scholarly journals Cyberchondria Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Management Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Varma ◽  
Sreeja Das ◽  
Tushar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Organization

The corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first found in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has posed an inexplicable threat to the global community. After its inception, the virus proliferated rapidly, which led to the cause of millions of deaths, and having a detrimental effect on physical health, social lives, economic uncertainty, and mental health of people. The World Health Organization has reported that there are 111 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2.45 million deaths due to COVID-19 worldwide. Indisputably, the present pandemic has contributed to the extensive psychological and environmental distress together with clinical depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic violence, and unemployment. Due to the ambiguous nature of the pandemic, educational organizations, and outdoor activities are closed, thus burdening the mental health of younger populations. Children as well as youths are more glued to the Internet for their studies, online gaming, shopping, watching movies, and searching health-related information. Despite the advantages of using the Internet, it has some severe consequences too. Some people are repeatedly searching for physical and mental well-being related information without verifying credible sources, which, in turn, causes distress and anxiety. In such situations, individuals may end up contributing to an illness known as cyberchondria. In this paper, we have tried to highlight the problematic use of Internet for health-related searches and have outlined the management of such illness. We suggest two strategies: firstly, to reduce repeated online searches of health information and, secondly, to manage anxiety-augmenting thoughts that are triggered due to the maladaptive thoughts caused by the abstruse information.

scholarly journals PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS FOR MENTAL HEALTH DURING A PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 65-70
Author(s):  
Sergey Igumnov
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
World Health ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Problematic Substance Use ◽  
The World ◽  
Problematic Substance ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Health Organization

During the pandemic, many countries go through a period of so-called “self-isolation” or quarantine, during which people are forced for a long time not to see their loved ones, not to visit places of importance to them and experiencing constant anxiety and un­certainty due to changing living conditions. This has had a very negative impact on most people’s mental state. Analyzing data from many countries around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the fear, loneliness, isolation, stress and anxiety experienced by all people during the COVID-19 pan­demic can cause great mental health problems and countries need to be prepared for them. Metaanalysis of studies evaluating the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders, self-harming behavior, acts of family violence, and problematic substance use in the COVID-19 pandemic show that depression, drug and alcohol addiction, self-harm and suicidal behavior are expected to increase, requiring increased prepa­redness by mental health services.

scholarly journals MENTAL HEALTH: ESSENCE, MAIN DETERMINANTS, STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 26-37
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Karamushka ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Biopsychosocial Model ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
International Standards ◽  
World Health ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Individual

The purpose of the study. Based on the study of foreign experience to analyze the essence of mental health, its main determinants, strategies and programs and to determine the features of the use of foreign approaches in Ukraine. The results of the study. The article analyzes the essence of mental health based on the analysis of foreign and domestic sources (documents of state and non-governmental organizations, scientific research), defines its role in the life of the individual, society and society. It is noted that according to the documents of the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is an integral part of health, is a state of well-being in which a person realizes his abilities, can cope with ordinary life stresses, can work productively and effectively to help his community. The role of the biopsychosocial model for determining the determinants of mental health is revealed. It is emphasized that according to the biopsychosocial model, a person is a holistic organism in which biological, psychological and social factors are constantly interrelated, so the idea of ​​human health, causes of diseases and its care depends on the characteristics and condition of each of these factors. Government and non-governmental mental health strategies, general and specialized programs for the protection and promotion of mental health are analyzed in detail. It is emphasized that Ukraine needs to actively participate in the study, development and implementation of international standards on mental health in Ukraine, improving the culture of the population on this issue, attracting specialists in various fields (physicians, psychologists, social workers) to diagnose mental health problems and various professional groups , implementation of appropriate psychological support programs.

Editorial Comments—Mental Health Problems following Earthquake in Kashmir: Findings of Community Run Clinics

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 546-546
Author(s):  
Carol Amaratunga
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Disaster Medicine ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress

The article by Chadda et al is particularly deserving in that it describes a universal, social imperative to address the mental health and well-being of affected populations following a horrendous disaster caused by natural hazards. The inclusion of mental health workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists in postdisaster recovery and response efforts is not always feasible, but in recent years the importance of recognizing these professionals as “front line responders” has been gaining currency. By addressing the extent and typology of mental health needs of survivor populations (e.g., adjustment disorders, depression, and stress reactions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms), the business of recovery and reconstruction can begin. This paper sufficiently captures the extent of psychiatric morbidity in the affected Kashmiri populations following the October 2005 earthquake in India.The authors visited >30 rural and remote sites and met with >300 survivors who had lost their homes, loved ones, and who also had suffered physical injury and mental health trauma. It is a remarkable testament to human resiliency that the vast majority of the earthquake survivors described in this paper, including those who live in an ongoing state of civil unrest due to political conflict, did not present full PTSD mental health disorders. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine deserves praise for supporting the work of our colleagues in the south. Thanks to the WADEM for the inclusion of this empirically based study, as it contributes to our understanding of human resiliency following disasters caused by natural hazards in a meaningful way.

Psychological/psychiatric impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak: lessons learnt from China and call for timely crisis interventions in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Zeppegno ◽  
Carla Gramaglia ◽  
Chiara Guerriero ◽  
Fabio Madeddu ◽  
Raffaella Calati
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
World Health ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress

Background: The World Health Organization declared the Corona Virus Disease 19 (Covid-19) a pandemic in March 2020. Psychological impact of Covid-19 can be consisent and should be prevented with adequate measures. Methods: We performed a literature mini review searching for studies in PubMed focusing on the psychological/psychiatric impact of Covid-19.Results: The selection process yielded 34 papers focusing on the relation between Covid-19 and mental health: 9 correspondence, 8 letters to the editor, 7 commentaries, 3 editorials, 4 original studies, 2 brief reports, and 1 a rapid review. The majority of the articles were performed in China. They focused on the general population and particular categories considered more fragile, e.g., psychiatric patients, older adults, international migrant workers, homeless people. Authors are unanimous in believing that Covid-19 will likely increase the risk of mental health problems and worsen existing psychiatric disorders/symptoms in patients, exposed subjects, and staff. Together with the negative emotionality related to the unpredictability of the situation, uncertainty concerning the risk, excessive fear, fear of death, loneliness, guilt, stigma, denial, anger, frustration, boredome, some symptoms might appear such as insomnia until patophobia (specifically, coronaphobia), depressive and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal risk.Limitations: Literature is rapidly increasing and present results are only partial. Conclusions: Mental health care should not be overlooked in this moment. The experience of China should be of help for all the countries facing with Covid-19, among them Italy.

scholarly journals Exploring the quality of life and psychological symptoms of university students in Cyprus during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 110-121
Author(s):  
Hadjicharalambous Demetris ◽  
Loucia Demetriou ◽  
Koulla Erotocritou
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Idioms Of Distress

The onset of the infectious disease Covid19 originating in Wuhan, China, took over the world in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic in January 2020.  Empirical evidence resulting from relevant research illustrated that the effects of the pandemic itself but also of the strict measures to contain the spread of the virus on the mental health and well-being of affected populations were just as unanticipated as the pandemic itself. Data led to the identification of six idioms of distress: (1) Demoralization and pessimism towards the future, (2) anguish and stress, (3) self-depreciation, (4) social withdrawal and isolation, (5) somatization, (6) withdrawal into oneself. Our research explores the psychological impact of the Covid19 pandemic on college students and their quality of life. The study took place in Cyprus with 356 young participants, whereas 256 were female (72%) and 100 were male (28%). They all completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI). The present study's findings revealed that six factors, including residence without family, the deterioration of the financial situation of the family, the loss of employment, the deterioration of social relationships, young age, and gender, have significantly affected in a negative way the mental health and quality of life of young people. Research findings revealed that the strict lockdown and physical/social isolation measures had a significant adverse effect on our sample, whereas participants showed increased symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and somatization. Young adults who lost their jobs during the pandemic or had a significant decrease in their family income, and students who stayed away from their families, experienced a negative impact on their quality of life and had to cope with more mental health problems.

Aftermath of anti-police protests in Nigeria: Burden and predictors of psychiatric morbidity among protesters and non-protesters

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110493
Author(s):  
Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde ◽  
Oluwasemiloore Peace Atere ◽  
Ugonna Ibeawuchi ◽  
Toyin Bello ◽  
Abiola Ogunkoya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Northern Nigeria ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ratio Range

Objectives: Anti-police (#EndSARS) protests took place in October 2020 across several Nigerian cities, resulting in deaths, injuries and loss of property, but the psychological sequelae of these protests have not been studied. Method: In a cross-sectional online survey, we collected data on psychiatric morbidity and potential risk factors from 426 Nigerian social media users, who self-identified as participants or non-participants in a recent anti-police protest. Results: We found elevated rates of psychiatric morbidity, with worse outcomes for protesters compared to non-protesters (psychological distress [44.2% vs 29.8%], depression [26.0% vs 14.9%], anxiety [51.0% vs 29.8%], post-traumatic stress disorder [7.4% vs 1.8%], current substance use [11.2% vs 4.5%] and suicidal ideation [7.1% vs 4.4%], respectively). After adjusting for the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and previous mental health diagnosis, the predictors of poor mental health among non-protesters were being unmarried (odds ratio = 7.4, p = 0.01) and low resilience (odds ratio range = 4.1–5.4, p < 0.03) while for the protesters, the predictors were low resilience (odds ratio range = 2.9–4.7, p < 0.01), being from Northern Nigeria (odds ratio = 4.7, p < 0.01) or residing in Northern Nigeria (odds ratio = 2.8, p = 0.03), being under-/unemployed (odds ratio range = 2.1–2.5, p < 0.04), holding the view that the protest was caused by the state of the economy (odds ratio = 2.0, p = 0.01), belief that the protest had a direct negative impact on the protester (odds ratio = 2.3, p = 0.04) and willingness to participate in future protests (odds ratio = 4.13, p = 0.02). Conclusion: We conclude that participating in the #EndSARS protest was associated with significant psychiatric morbidity. There is need to recognise and address the mental health sequelae of collective actions, and invest in programmes that build resilience and address socio-political determinants of mental health, especially with a focus on youth.

scholarly journals User Engagement with Mental Health Videos on YouTube

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Mental Health Information ◽  
Health Organization

Introduction: Mental health is a primary determinant of well-being, and as more people look online for mental health information, YouTube is an increasingly important information source. Although authoritative organizations such as the World Health Organization post videos to YouTube, when retrieved these videos are interspersed with personal, commercial, governmental, television or other media segments, and institutional videos. YouTube was searched for videos on mental health to measure user engagement with these videos. It was hypothesized that videos posted to YouTube that contained personal narratives would generate more user engagement in terms of more video view counts, likes, and number of comments. Methods: YouTube was searched for mental health information using three different search terms and phrases: “depression,” “bipolar disorder,” and “mental health.” The first 20 results for the terms depression and bipolar disorder were screen captured and for the search phrase mental health the first 40 videos were screen captured. All 80 videos were categorized according to video producer type and analyzed using YouTube metrics including number of “likes,” view counts, and comments to measure user engagement with the videos. Results: The majority of videos returned in the top results were posted by laypersons and the videos focus on the poster's personal experience (38%) followed by videos produced for television and other media (29%). Videos that contain personal narratives and experiential knowledge generate the most user engagement and are preferred sources for users searching for mental health information. Discussion: Users’ greater engagement with personal videos indicates that there is an important role for librarians and information professionals in assisting users in deciding what mental health information is accurate, authoritative, and reliable regardless of the authority of the video producer. In addition, the results of this research might inform best practices for professional organizations posting videos to YouTube.

Mental health disorders and alcohol misuse among UK military veterans and the general population: a comparison study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Rebecca Rhead ◽  
Deirdre MacManus ◽  
Margaret Jones ◽  
Neil Greenberg ◽  
Nicola T Fear ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Male Veterans ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Background For a small minority of personnel, military service can have a negative impact on their mental health. Yet no studies have assessed how the mental health of UK veterans (who served during the recent operations in Afghanistan or Iraq) compares to non-veterans, to determine if they are at a disadvantage. We examine the prevalence of mental disorders and alcohol misuse in UK veterans compared to non-veterans. Methods Veteran data were taken from the third phase of the King's Centre for Military Health Research cohort study (n = 2917). These data were compared with data on non-veterans taken from two large general population surveys: 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (n = 5871) and wave 6 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS, n = 22 760). Results We found that, overall, UK veterans who served at the time of recent military operations were more likely to report a significantly higher prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) (23% v. 16%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (8% v. 5%) and alcohol misuse (11% v. 6%) than non-veterans. Stratifying by gender showed that the negative impact of being a veteran on mental health and alcohol misuse was restricted to male veterans. Being ill or disabled was associated with a higher prevalence of CMD and PTSD for both veterans and non-veterans. Conclusion Whilst the same sociodemographic groups within the veteran and non-veteran populations seemed to have an increased risk of mental health problems (e.g. those who were unemployed), male veterans, in particular, appear to be at a distinct disadvantage compared to those who have never served.

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