Methylphenidate and hypertension.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Shoba Srinath.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: There are limited data on child mental health needs in our country. Therefore, an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence rates of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders was initiated as a two-centre (Bangalore and Lucknow) study by the Indian Council of Medical Research. It also aimed to study the psychosocial correlates of the psychiatric disorders. We present here the findings of Bangalore Centre. METHODS: In Bangalore, 2064 children aged 0-16 yr, were selected by stratified random sampling from urban middle-class, urban slum and rural areas. The screening stage was followed by a detailed evaluation stage. The ICD-10 DCR criteria were used to reach a penta-axial diagnosis. RESULTS: The results indicated a prevalence rate of 12.5 per cent among children aged 0-16 yr. There were no significant differences among prevalence rates in urban middle class, slum and rural areas. The psychiatric morbidity among 0-3 yr old children was 13.8 per cent with the most common diagnoses being breath holding spells, pica, behaviour disorder NOS, expressive language disorder and mental retardation. The prevalence rate in the 4-16 yr old children was 12.0 per cent. Enuresis, specific phobia, hyperkinetic disorders, stuttering and oppositional defiant disorder were the most frequent diagnoses. When impairment associated with the disorder was assessed, significant disability was found in 5.3 per cent of the 4-16 yr group. Assessment of felt treatment needs indicated that only 37.5 per cent of the families perceived that their children had any problem. Physical abuse and parental mental disorder were significantly associated with psychiatric disorders. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Prevalence rates of psychiatric morbidity in 0-16 yr old children in India were found to be lower than Western figures. Middle class urban areas had highest and urban slum areas had lowest prevalence rates. The implications for clinical training, practice and policy initiatives are discussed.
OBJECTIVE: Data on outcome of juvenile onset bipolar disorder is limited. This study examined the course and outcome of bipolar disorder and assessed the rate and predictors of recovery and relapse in a sample of children and adolescents over a 4-5 year period. METHOD: Twenty-five consecutively ascertained subjects (9-16 years) with a diagnosis of mania (mean duration at intake of 4.6 +/- 3.9 weeks), were comprehensively assessed at baseline and at 6-month intervals using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (revised) (DICA-R), the Missouri Assessment for Genetic Interview in Children (MAGIC), the Young's Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Children's Global Assessment (CGAS). The study phenotype required DSM-IV criteria of mania with elation and/or grandiosity as a criterion to distinguish them from those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Subjects received the standard treatment as prescribed by their primary treating team. RESULTS: During the course of the study period, all 25 subjects (100%) recovered from the index episode. The mean time to recovery was 44 +/- 46 days. The mean duration of follow-up was 51.6 +/- 4.1 months. Sixteen subjects (64%) relapsed after a mean period of 18 +/- 16.4 months. A majority of the relapses (72.4%) were while the subjects were on treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Acute juvenile onset mania has a high rate of recovery and low chronicity. The relapse rate was high and most of these occurred in the first 3 years despite aggressive prophylactic treatment. The effectiveness of currently used thymoleptics, in particular lithium, in the prophylaxis of juvenile bipolar disorder needs to be evaluated in controlled studies.
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies of patients with juvenile bipolar disorder report low rates of recovery and high rates of chronicity. However, we lack data on the short-term outcome. This study examines the pattern of recovery from the index episode in an aggressively treated juvenile sample. METHOD: We assessed 25 subjects (< 16 years) with a diagnosis of mania, using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised) (DICA-R), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) at intake and at 3 and 6 months. We studied the time taken to recover from the index episode, the level of functioning, and the factors predicting them. RESULTS: After 6 months, 24 (96%) subjects had recovered from the index manic episode. The median time to recovery was 27 days. Total episode length was significantly longer among those with previous affective episodes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that juvenile-onset mania has high rates of recovery and low rates of chronicity. These differences from the existing literature need further exploration.
Studies on the naturalistic course of early-onset bipolar disorder are few and studies evaluating the efficacy of pharmacotherapy consist largely of open trials of thymoleptics and neuroleptics on small samples. The current study was undertaken to map the course of the disorder and the prevailing prescribing practice in early-onset bipolar disorder at a child and adolescent psychiatry center in India. A chart review of 139 children and adolescents (<16 years) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder-mania was performed and the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, episode characteristics, and treatment and follow-up details were collected and the data analyzed. The index episode remitted in all 133 (96%) subjects for whom the information was available. One hundred twenty-five (90%) subjects received thymoleptics for the index episode, of which lithium was used in 85%. Valproate was the next most commonly used thymoleptic (18%). Eighteen (13%) subjects received combination thymoleptics. Sixty-eight percent received neuroleptics either alone or as adjuncts in the acute phase. During the follow-up period, which ranged from 3 to 56 months (mean +/- SD, 15 +/- 14), 35% of subjects relapsed, 89% within the first 2 years. Twenty-eight percent of subjects relapsed despite being on apparently adequate doses of lithium. The limitations of the study are that it is retrospective in nature, and that structured diagnostic tools and rating scales were not used. We conclude that lithium is the most commonly used thymoleptic in early-onset bipolar disorder. Lithium alone or in combination with neuroleptics appears to have good efficacy in the acute phase of the disorder. The majority of relapses occurred in the first 2 years and the efficacy of currently used thymoleptics in prophylaxis is uncertain.