Psychiatry and Society

Alcohol and happiness don't mix - definitely not when taken in excess, and definitely not in the long term. The relationship between adverse alcohol use and unhappiness is reciprocal - unhappy people tend to drink hazardously, and vice versa. This effect increases over time as demonstrated by a 15-year study that followed-up adult twins in 1975, 1981, and 1990. Passing out while drinking is significantly more likely in dissatisfied people Blackouts or passing out while consuming alcohol is an indication of unhappiness. Dissatisfied people are more likely to have a pattern of binge drinking. Binge drinkers are more likely to be dissatisfied with life. A pattern of binge drinking on weekends negates any beneficial effects of moderate alcohol use. Excessive alcohol use increases dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Alcohol, even in moderation does not reinforce feelings of well being, pleasure, happiness or joy. Moderate drinking does not reduce un...

Aggression is uncommon in school children and should be addressed A Pune teenager was kidnapped and murdered by his school friends a few weeks ago. The victim was deliberately selected and his parents were manipulated for a ransom. Violence, theft and destructiveness are end stage behaviours of conduct problems in children and adolescents. Trajectories of aggression in children The commonest path of violence in children is ' adolescence-limited ' . The antisocial behaviours usually occur when the adolescents are 'hanging out' in a group.  This type of aggression reflects an anti- authoritarianism . Anti-authoritarianism results from frustration over being denied the benefits of full adult independence despite reaching physical maturity. Adolescent limited aggression is less violent, relies on peer encouragement, and generally diminishes by adulthood  These adolescents are usually able to integrate into society as young adults. A ...

Psychological development is a key aspect of any ‘Healthy Baby Contest”. Pathfinder Clinic judged the psychological development of toddlers participating in one such local event. Healthy baby contests are among the most attractive activities organized by many preschools and communities. Assessment is a sensitive issue at any Healthy Baby competition. Parents of contestants are concerned regarding partiality and subjective errors. Judging a Healthy Baby Contest objectively is crucial to the credibility of the event. Can psychological development be objectively assessed in 5 minutes? Psychological assessment can be time consuming and difficult to operationalize. The child’s development is captured in speech, social interaction, and manipulation of every- day objects. Usually a child’s developmental milestones are judged ‘objectively’ based on the parents responses to available screening questionnaires. We decided to get our knees dirty and go down to toddler level to get ...

Chronic unstable mood with irritability and superimposed bouts of depression is a common form of bipolar II disorder or hypomania. Persons with this pattern of illness tend to have an unstable course and stormy interpersonal relationships. They also have more irritable and hostile hypomanic episodes. The classical Bipolar II disorder or hypomania of mild elevation of mood, sharpened and positive thinking, and increased energy and activity levels is less disruptive. Persons with this irritable type of hypomania and bipolar illness have unrealistically high expectactions of those with whom they interact; whether at the workplace, at home, or other casual day-to-day interactions. When these expectations are not met they pass on their irritation and negative mood to unsuspecting others. There is usually a grain of truth in their version of the incident, but the growing number of incidents with various people at all levels reduces their credibility. At the workplace they are fr...

Checklists and psychological screening questionnaires for mental illness are effective, easy to use and widely available. Pune was shocked into considering the need for mental health screening of its bus drivers after one of them wilfully killed eight people and injured 32 others. He hijacked a bus at the depot and mowed down victims in broad daylight. Amidst the protests, and outrage the Pune administration has decided that all its bus driver undergo psychological testing. We have already looked at screening of police personnel for mental health problems , and also screening of teenagers for alcohol and drug abuse . Here we specifically examine the feasibility of regularly screening the 8600 PMPL staff and Pune bus drivers for mental health problems. Mental illness in bus drivers Mental health problems are higher for bus drivers who suffer from back pain, are dissatisfied with their jobs or undertake long-distance driving. This is more so for employees who have worked fo...