Psychiatry and Society

Codeine is methyl-morphine Corex Cough Syrup contains codeine  – an addiction causing opioid. One 100ml bottle of codeine containing Corex cough syrup has the same effect as a 30mg tablet of morphine. The drug belongs to the same class of substances as heroin. Medicines are routinely purchased   over-the-counter   at most pharmacies in Pune and cough syrups very frequently so. Always read the fine print. Codeine suppresses the cough reflex through a direct effect on the cough centre in the brain stem. However, there is little evidence in the medical literature to support its use as a cough suppressant. Several studies show that codeine does not reduce cough frequency, intensity, or duration (Herbert & Brewster, 2000). Patients who are prescribed Corex cough syrup or those who buy it over-the-counter are not warned of its addiction potential. They subsequently continue using it as they 'feel restless and anxious' without it. These feelings are part of t...

Last Sunday, 14th November was Children's Day. The papers and supplements were full of articles about children and how to parent them. The need to let the child do whatever he or she wanted to do was stressed. Some articles went so far as to highlight families where the child's every whim was indulged. Until a worried parent of a five-year-old asked our counsellor Is discipline harming my child? The message from these articles being If you love them set them free - from your control Does it actually matter as to how you parent your child? Well, there are some associations between parenting styles and outcomes for the child. 4 Parenting Styles based on Responsiveness and Demands The concept of parenting style  has evolved through three major influences The differentiation of parenting style into four types based on " parental responsiveness " and " parental demandingness " by Maccoby and Martin (1983). The neglectful style where the pa...

Woman booked for attempting suicide A 21-yr woman attempted suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the gynaecology ward she was admitted in. She could not stand the pain of complications after a Caesarean Section. Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code was slapped against her by the police. 612 people committed suicide in Pune in 2008. This gives a documented suicide rate in Pune of 16.3 persons per 100,000 population . The national suicide rate is 10.8/100,000. This data is based on police records. A verbal autopsy study (1994-99) estimated an actual suicide rate of 95.2/100 000 population —nine times the national average. This tragic incident and its background needs further analysis How common is attempted suicide in a 21 year old woman during and after pregnancy? The suicide rate for 15–24 year females is 109/100000 . This exceeds the male rate of 78/100 000. Suicide is responsible for 49% of all deaths in women at these ages. During pregnancy attempted suicide is ...

Some excerpts (reproduced with permission) from responses to my last post. " My Dad was a closet alcoholic " " ...asking for help on alcohol consumption for my friend's son who will soon turn 19 years...parents now try to monitor his timings, where he is but he is slippery and generally seems to be ahead of them. " People may know that a loved one requires help with an alcohol habit or other behavioural or emotional problem. The reluctance to seek help is mainly due to the stigma attached and the individuals lack of insight (blindness to the presence of the illness). How does the family or society (a neighbour) get the person to a psychiatrist or other mental health professional? Individual choice and potential for harm are in the balance I've listed out some methods  - by no means exhaustive - used successfully by other caregivers. They are in descending order of individual choice and autonomy. Use your discretion. How to get a ...