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Biomedical subjects

A N Chowdhury

Publications and source records attributed to A N Chowdhury.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Puppy pregnancy in humans: a culture-bound disorder in rural West Bengal, India.

BACKGROUND: Delusion of pregnancy in males, though uncommon, has been reported in the literature. Delusion of animal pregnancy in humans is unreported until now, and we are reporting here cases of puppy pregnancy in human beings from a part of rural West Bengal, India. MATERIAL: Studies of six male cases and one female case of delusion of puppy pregnancy after an alleged touch or bite of a dog are presented. DISCUSSION: Detailed phenomenological analysis revealed that there exists a strong cultural belief that dog bite may evolve into a puppy pregnancy even in the human male. Psychiatric status showed that there was a clear association of obsessive-compulsive disorder in two cases, anxiety-phobic locus in one and three showed no other mental symptom except this solitary false belief and preoccupation about the puppy pregnancy. All the cases were from rural areas and their communities endorse this pathogenic event of puppy pregnancy in humans. One case (11-year-old child) exemplified how the social imposition of this cultural belief made him a case that allegedly vomited out an embryo of a dog foetus. CONCLUSION: Although the belief in puppy pregnancy is culturally shared, the cases presented a mix of somatic and psychological complaints and their help-seeking behaviour was marked. These features prompted us to identify this phenomena as a culture-bound disorder which needs proper cultural understanding for its effective management.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Global, national, and local approaches to mental health: examples from India.

Neuropsychiatric disorders and suicide amount to 12.7% of the global burden of disease and related conditions (GBD) according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates for 1999, and recognition of the enormous component of mental illness in the GBD has attracted unprecedented attention in the field of international health. Focusing on low- and middle-income countries with high adult mortality, this article discusses essential functions of international agencies concerned with mental health. A review of the history and development of national mental health policy in India follows, and local case studies consider the approach to planning in a rural mental health programme in West Bengal and the experience in an established urban mental health programme in a low-income community of Mumbai. Local programmes must be attentive to the needs of the communities they serve, and they require the support of global and national policy for resources and the conceptual tools to formulate strategies to meet those needs. National programmes retain major responsibilities for the health of their country's population: they are the portals through which global and local interests, ideas, and policies formally interact. International priorities should be responsive to a wide range of national interests, which in turn should be sensitive to diverse local experiences. Mental health actions thereby benefit from the synergy of informed and effective policy at each level.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Prominence of symptoms and level of stigma among depressed patients in Calcutta.

A pilot study of 29 patients for research on clinical depression employed the framework of cultural epidemiology to examine illness-related experience, meaning, behaviour with a Bengali version of the explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC). This report examined patterns of distress and stigma with reference to the most troubling patient-specified symptom. All subjects were psychiatric outpatients in the Institute of Psychiatry, Calcutta, and met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV criteria for a major depressive episode. Only 5 patients (17.2%) identified sadness as the most troubling problem, and 48.3% specified pains and other somatic symptoms instead. An internally consistent stigma scale with Cronbach's alpha of .67, comprised 13 items, was used to assess stigma. In addition to the scale score for each subject, the contribution of each item was reported and compared. A suggestive, though not significantly lower value of the stigma score for patients reporting somatic symptoms as most troubling, compared with sadness, was consistent with findings from prior studies showing a positive relationship between the magnitude of depression and stigma. These findings are discussed with reference to their impact on recognition and help seeking among patients, and recognition and management of depression by general practitioner. Culturally distinctive presentations and social contexts of depression and other mental illnesses should be addressed in professional training and public health communications.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Torture and mental health.

Torture has reached an epidemic proportion throughout the globe. The most common psychological symptoms are insomnia and nightmare, memory losts and poor concentration. There are 20 million official refugees in the world today. Torture in different dimensions is always attached with the refugee experience. Torture by definition creates a severe form of psychosomatic distress because of the person's lack of control over the basic bodily functions. Torture in women (16% to 52%) is perpetrated by male counterparts. Increasing awareness of professional obligation for prevention of torture will play a definite role in promoting a peaceful world.

Female↗
PubMed1996

The definition and classification of Koro.

Attempts at defining and classifying Koro have been undertaken by various researchers over at least the last fifty years without any consensus emerging to date. The occurrence of Koro, not only in different parts of the world but also in association with varied morbidities, has of late diluted its primary identity as a culture-bound syndrome. Further, the DSM-IIIR and ICD-10 provisions to include culture-bound syndromes like Koro are open to various diagnostic options. Consideration was given to have it included in DSM-IV. One of the fundamental problems inherent in such attempts is the semantic confusion Koro generates in its basic phenomenological analysis. The present paper deals with some of these issues based on historical analysis of world Koro literature, and with comments on the future research agendum.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1994

Koro following cannabis smoking: two case reports.

Koro in the background of drug abuse is quite rare. The present report of Koro during the first experience with cannabis is the only account of its kind in the world Koro literature to date. The nature and extent of this genital depersonalization is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Glans penis perception of Koro patients.

Koro is a form of sexual neurosis in which a reaction of acute anxiety accompanies the perception of decreased penis length from intra-abdominal traction. This study attempts to explore the glans penis perception of Koro patients by a grapho-motor projective test--DAPT (Draw-a-penis Test). This controlled DAPT investigation shows that Koro patients have significantly less perception of glans penis than the controls. This perceptual deviation in glans penis image is discussed in relation to the sexual-behavioral profile and Koro vulnerability of the patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Penis-root perception of Koro patients.

Koro is an acute anxiety reaction in which the perception of decreased penis length because of intra-abdominal traction is the main feature. This study attempts to explore the penis-root perception of the Koro patients by a graphomotor projective test--the Draw-a-penis Test (DAPT). This controlled DAPT investigation shows that Koro patients perceived the penis as a detached organ with root-boundary definiteness as evidenced from their close penis-root perception. They also displayed reduced volumetric perception of penis-root than the normal subjects. These perceptual deviations in penis-root image are discussed in relation to their Koro vulnerability.

Body Image↗
PubMed1990

Buprenorphine abuse: report from India.

Buprenorphine has been stated a drug of low abuse potential and often used therapeutically in the management of opiate addicts. An analysis of 2 1/2 years' experience of opiate addiction cases at a de-addition clinic revealed its increasing rate of abuse, especially as a substitute for heroin.

Buprenorphine↗