Background: Crime is a complex psychological, sociological and situational behaviour. Personality... more Background: Crime is a complex psychological, sociological and situational behaviour. Personality theories provide possible insights into the psychological aspects of crime. The primary assumption behind the personality theories is that crime and delinquency are related to the presence of some personality traits. Aims: To assess the personality dimensions of offenders, mentally ill offenders and to compare them with normal control population. Methods: A semi-structured interview consisting of Socio-demographic details, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used to assess the personality of offenders, mentally ill offenders and normal population. Results: Offenders with and without mental illness did not differ in their personality, but both the groups differed significantly with the personality of general population. The offenders were more impulsive compared to normal population in general and offenders with mental illness were scorin...
An 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed to have piebaldism had moderate growth and mental retardation... more An 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed to have piebaldism had moderate growth and mental retardation. Chromosome analysis from peripheral blood showed pericentric inversion 4(p16q12). The inversion was further confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization using whole chromosome painting and centromeric probes. Chromosomal analysis of parents revealed de novo inheritance of this inversion. This is the first report of pericentric inversion associated with piebald trait.
Adolescence may be considered a work in progress. WHO identifies adolescence as the period in hum... more Adolescence may be considered a work in progress. WHO identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, specifically from ages 10 to 19. It represents one of the most critical transitions in the life span and is characterized by a tremendous pace in growth and change with clear biological demarcations but culture-specific roles and responsibilities. As the population of India moves towards the 1.25 billion mark, our estimated number of adolescents is 243,492 million. If one were to extrapolate the prevalence figures to a reasonable and approximate 20 %, in India alone, the numbers would be 48 million or about 5 crore adolescents, in need of therapeutic mental health services. This chapter highlights the prevalence of adolescent mental health issues in world and Indian literature. At least 20 % of young people will experience some form of mental illness, such as depression, mood disturbances, tobacco and substance abuse, suicidal behaviours and eating disorders. Asian figures of adolescent mental health problems reportedly range from 10 to 20 %. In Indian prevalence studies of adolescent populations, values range from 1 % for all disorders to figures as high as 23 % for one disorder alone. Given that epidemiological studies are innately difficult to conduct, a more uniform, multicentre approach could better address methodological issues. However, the most important consideration is to address the management of adolescent issues through non-stigmatizing methods like counseling and behavioural management and as the rest of this book highlights cognitive behaviour therapy.
In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that ... more In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that are of diagnostic value, plasma amino acid analyses were carried out on a cohort of 138 autistic children and 138 normal controls using reverse-phase HPLC. Pre-column derivatization of amino acids with phenyl isothiocyanate forms phenyl thio-carbamate derivates that have a lamba(max) of 254 nm, enabling their detection using photodiode array. Autistic children showed elevated levels of glutamic acid (120 +/- 89 vs. 83 +/- 35 micromol/L) and asparagine (85 +/- 37 vs. 47 +/- 19 micromol/L); lower levels of phenylalanine (45 +/- 20 vs. 59 +/- 18 micromol/L), tryptophan (24 +/- 11 vs. 41 +/- 16 micromol/L), methionine (22 +/- 9 vs. 28 +/- 9 micromol/L) and histidine (45 +/- 21 vs. 58 +/- 15 micromol/L). A low molar ratio of (tryptophan/large neutral amino acids) x 100 was observed in autism (5.4 vs 9.2), indicating lesser availability of tryptophan for neurotransmitter serotonin synthesis. T...
In 1943, Leo Kanner described 11 children with autistic disturbances of affective contact. A year... more In 1943, Leo Kanner described 11 children with autistic disturbances of affective contact. A year later, he called this condition Early Infantile Autism. He described with great clarity, the basic symptoms, which still define the condition. In 70 years, we have not improved on the inclusion criteria for the diagnosis. Autism continues to be a disorder characterised by patterns of delay and deviance in the development of social and communicative skills with problems of repetitive and restricted behaviour, often with exceptional skills, arising in the first few years of life. Everything else about autism is a controversy. As a postgraduate student or resident, my first seminar in child psychiatry was on autism and I believe my abiding interest in autism began in 1975. At that time, the incidence was 1:40,000 children. It is hard to believe that the reported incidence of today, varying from 1 in 500 children to 1 in 88 children is only a matter of smarter doctors, teachers and parents.
In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that ... more In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that are of diagnostic value, plasma amino acid analyses were carried out on a cohort of 138 autistic children and 138 normal controls using reverse-phase HPLC. Pre-column derivatization of amino acids with phenyl isothiocyanate forms phenyl thio-carbamate derivates that have a lamba(max) of 254 nm, enabling their detection using photodiode array. Autistic children showed elevated levels of glutamic acid (120 +/- 89 vs. 83 +/- 35 micromol/L) and asparagine (85 +/- 37 vs. 47 +/- 19 micromol/L); lower levels of phenylalanine (45 +/- 20 vs. 59 +/- 18 micromol/L), tryptophan (24 +/- 11 vs. 41 +/- 16 micromol/L), methionine (22 +/- 9 vs. 28 +/- 9 micromol/L) and histidine (45 +/- 21 vs. 58 +/- 15 micromol/L). A low molar ratio of (tryptophan/large neutral amino acids) x 100 was observed in autism (5.4 vs 9.2), indicating lesser availability of tryptophan for neurotransmitter serotonin synthesis. T...
Background: Crime is a complex psychological, sociological and situational behaviour. Personality... more Background: Crime is a complex psychological, sociological and situational behaviour. Personality theories provide possible insights into the psychological aspects of crime. The primary assumption behind the personality theories is that crime and delinquency are related to the presence of some personality traits. Aims: To assess the personality dimensions of offenders, mentally ill offenders and to compare them with normal control population. Methods: A semi-structured interview consisting of Socio-demographic details, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used to assess the personality of offenders, mentally ill offenders and normal population. Results: Offenders with and without mental illness did not differ in their personality, but both the groups differed significantly with the personality of general population. The offenders were more impulsive compared to normal population in general and offenders with mental illness were scorin...
An 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed to have piebaldism had moderate growth and mental retardation... more An 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed to have piebaldism had moderate growth and mental retardation. Chromosome analysis from peripheral blood showed pericentric inversion 4(p16q12). The inversion was further confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization using whole chromosome painting and centromeric probes. Chromosomal analysis of parents revealed de novo inheritance of this inversion. This is the first report of pericentric inversion associated with piebald trait.
Adolescence may be considered a work in progress. WHO identifies adolescence as the period in hum... more Adolescence may be considered a work in progress. WHO identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, specifically from ages 10 to 19. It represents one of the most critical transitions in the life span and is characterized by a tremendous pace in growth and change with clear biological demarcations but culture-specific roles and responsibilities. As the population of India moves towards the 1.25 billion mark, our estimated number of adolescents is 243,492 million. If one were to extrapolate the prevalence figures to a reasonable and approximate 20 %, in India alone, the numbers would be 48 million or about 5 crore adolescents, in need of therapeutic mental health services. This chapter highlights the prevalence of adolescent mental health issues in world and Indian literature. At least 20 % of young people will experience some form of mental illness, such as depression, mood disturbances, tobacco and substance abuse, suicidal behaviours and eating disorders. Asian figures of adolescent mental health problems reportedly range from 10 to 20 %. In Indian prevalence studies of adolescent populations, values range from 1 % for all disorders to figures as high as 23 % for one disorder alone. Given that epidemiological studies are innately difficult to conduct, a more uniform, multicentre approach could better address methodological issues. However, the most important consideration is to address the management of adolescent issues through non-stigmatizing methods like counseling and behavioural management and as the rest of this book highlights cognitive behaviour therapy.
In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that ... more In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that are of diagnostic value, plasma amino acid analyses were carried out on a cohort of 138 autistic children and 138 normal controls using reverse-phase HPLC. Pre-column derivatization of amino acids with phenyl isothiocyanate forms phenyl thio-carbamate derivates that have a lamba(max) of 254 nm, enabling their detection using photodiode array. Autistic children showed elevated levels of glutamic acid (120 +/- 89 vs. 83 +/- 35 micromol/L) and asparagine (85 +/- 37 vs. 47 +/- 19 micromol/L); lower levels of phenylalanine (45 +/- 20 vs. 59 +/- 18 micromol/L), tryptophan (24 +/- 11 vs. 41 +/- 16 micromol/L), methionine (22 +/- 9 vs. 28 +/- 9 micromol/L) and histidine (45 +/- 21 vs. 58 +/- 15 micromol/L). A low molar ratio of (tryptophan/large neutral amino acids) x 100 was observed in autism (5.4 vs 9.2), indicating lesser availability of tryptophan for neurotransmitter serotonin synthesis. T...
In 1943, Leo Kanner described 11 children with autistic disturbances of affective contact. A year... more In 1943, Leo Kanner described 11 children with autistic disturbances of affective contact. A year later, he called this condition Early Infantile Autism. He described with great clarity, the basic symptoms, which still define the condition. In 70 years, we have not improved on the inclusion criteria for the diagnosis. Autism continues to be a disorder characterised by patterns of delay and deviance in the development of social and communicative skills with problems of repetitive and restricted behaviour, often with exceptional skills, arising in the first few years of life. Everything else about autism is a controversy. As a postgraduate student or resident, my first seminar in child psychiatry was on autism and I believe my abiding interest in autism began in 1975. At that time, the incidence was 1:40,000 children. It is hard to believe that the reported incidence of today, varying from 1 in 500 children to 1 in 88 children is only a matter of smarter doctors, teachers and parents.
In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that ... more In order to ascertain whether autistic children display characteristic metabolic signatures that are of diagnostic value, plasma amino acid analyses were carried out on a cohort of 138 autistic children and 138 normal controls using reverse-phase HPLC. Pre-column derivatization of amino acids with phenyl isothiocyanate forms phenyl thio-carbamate derivates that have a lamba(max) of 254 nm, enabling their detection using photodiode array. Autistic children showed elevated levels of glutamic acid (120 +/- 89 vs. 83 +/- 35 micromol/L) and asparagine (85 +/- 37 vs. 47 +/- 19 micromol/L); lower levels of phenylalanine (45 +/- 20 vs. 59 +/- 18 micromol/L), tryptophan (24 +/- 11 vs. 41 +/- 16 micromol/L), methionine (22 +/- 9 vs. 28 +/- 9 micromol/L) and histidine (45 +/- 21 vs. 58 +/- 15 micromol/L). A low molar ratio of (tryptophan/large neutral amino acids) x 100 was observed in autism (5.4 vs 9.2), indicating lesser availability of tryptophan for neurotransmitter serotonin synthesis. T...
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