Search

Background: Nomophobia or “No Mobile Phone” phobia is the fear of being detached from one’s own mobile phone. Smartphones have been proven to have numerous advantages in recent times. However, on their excessive use, it can have physical, psychological, behavioral, social, and affective effects. Since the younger generation are the latest buyers of the mobile phones, and the under-25-year age group in professional colleges like medical colleges use mobile phones quite frequently, this study was conducted to find out the prevalence of nomophobia and its association with the coping styles and the perceived stress in undergraduate medical students of a medical college in New Delhi. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted for 3 months (November 2022–January 2023) on M. B. B. S students. A total of 200 students were selected by purposive sampling. The data was collected using questionnaires. Nomophobia was assessed through Nomophobia Questionnaire. Coping and stress were assessed using Brief Cope and Perceived stress scales, respectively. Data were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS software Version 21 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, IBM Corp, USA). Results: The study was conducted on a total of 197 students undergraduate MBBS students. The prevalence of nomophobia was found to be 99.5% which was higher among females (56%) than males (44%). Among the students with mild (24%) and moderate nomophobia (60%), problem-focused coping mechanism was the most commonly used coping mechanism. Those with severe nomophobia (15%) were found to lean more toward emotion focused followed by problem-focused coping mechanism. A statistically significant association was found between nomophobia and perceived stress. Conclusions: Smartphones have many benefits when used for their intended purpose but when used in a problematic way and excessively, they can cause various problems. The higher prevalence of nomophobia among medical students is an issue of concern and has possibly affected their mental health. Strategies are to be devised on a priority basis for minimizing nomophobia among the medical students.

Background and Aim: There is high prevalence of mental disorders in specialist treatment seekers across specialties. Still, psychiatry referral rates have been found to be very low. A physician refers a patient to psychiatric services for reasons like known case of mental disorder, physical symptoms without adequate explanation, or if the physician feels inadequate in dealing with psychological symptoms. A multi disciplinary approach should be encouraged for the management of such patients, facilitating early recognition and management of psychiatric problems. The aim is to study the sociodemographic variables of psychiatric referrals, reasons and diagnostic categories of psychiatric referrals, and the distribution of psychiatric diagnoses according to reasons and sources of referrals. Materials and Methods: A retrospective hospital based study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, by analyzing the recorded data of referrals to the Psychiatry Department from various other specialties from January 2019 to March 2020. All referred patients were evaluated by a Psychiatrist (MD Psychiatry) and the diagnosis was made as per the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 10 criteria. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results: This study included 315 psychiatric referrals. The mean age and standard deviation of the entire sample were 37.75 ± 17.63. The referral rate was minimum from January to March 2020. The highest number of referrals was from Medicine Department (66.3%). Among those, the most common diagnoses were that of alcohol dependence (27%). The most common overall reason for referral was substance use (26.2%). The most common psychiatric diagnosis was alcohol dependence (24%). Hypertension was the most common physical comorbidity. The most common diagnosis for known case of psychiatric illness and follow ups were psychotic disorders (27.3% and 26.3%). Conclusion: The findings of this study give us insight that consultation liaison psychiatry should focus on early recognition and wholesome management of psychiatric disorders in patients with physical illness through consultation psychiatry services in general hospital settings.

Introduction: Baclofen and topiramate are GABAergic drugs, and both have been recommended for the treatment of alcohol dependence as anticraving agent. Several studies have demonstrated the effect of baclofen and topiramate as anticraving, but none has compared them. The main aim of the current study was to assess the baclofen and topiramate as anticraving agent in alcohol dependence during 1 month follow-up. Methodology: After 1-week detoxification protocol, 94 patients were randomly assigned to either baclofen (n = 49) or topiramate (n = 45) for 1-month follow-up. Patients were assessed with clinical institute withdrawal assessment at baseline, and at 1 week, the Addiction Severity Index, ready to change questionnaire at baseline and weekly assessed with Obsessive and Compulsive drinking scale (OCDS) for craving. At every follow-up, adverse effects were also assessed to check tolerability. Results: A marked improvement was observed with baclofen in OCDS in each assessment as compared to topiramate. With baclofen, 61.22% of patients became complete abstinence, as compared to 37.78% in topiramate group. Baclofen was better tolerated as 24.49% patients were dropped out in baclofen group as compared to 33.33% in topiramate group. Conclusion: Baclofen has better efficacy and tolerability as compared to topiramate.