The Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) has been developed to elicit illness-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices in a cultural study of leprosy and mental health in Bombay. Leprosy is an especially appropriate disorder for studying the inter-relationship of culture, mental health and medical illness because of deeply rooted cultural meanings, the emotional burden, and underuse of effective therapy. Fifty per cent of 56 recently diagnosed leprosy out-patients, 37% of 19 controls with another stigmatised dermatological condition (vitiligo), but only 8% of 12 controls with a comparable non-stigmatised condition (tinea versicolor) met DSM-III-R criteria for an axis I depressive, anxiety or somatoform disorder. Belief in a humoral (traditional) cause of illness predicted better attendance at clinic.

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Clobazam, a new antianxiety compound, was compared in a double-blind study with diazepam in 40 neurotic outpatients. Twenty-three patients completed the trial under clobazam conditions while 17 patients completed the trial under diazepam conditions. The trial was conducted for a period of four weeks of active drug administration followed by a one-week period of placebo administration. Clobazam was administered in three divided doses of 30 to 40 mg/day, while diazepam was administered in three divided doses of 15 to 20 mg/day, following a fixed dosage schedule. No significant differences were noted between the two treatment conditions during the drug trial period. The patients on clobazam maintained greater improvement during the placebo trial period for the variables "somatic anxiety" and "nights of sleep disturbance." Simultaneous motor coordination tests (hand steadiness test) showed greater improvement on clobazam throughout the trial period in patients with an initial error score greater than 50 points. This difference was significant during the second week of the trial.

Electroconvulsive therapy with unilateral electrode placement has been tried most often in depressive disorders (Abrams and de Vito, 1969; Cannicott, 1962; Cannicott and Waggoner, 1967; Costello et al., 1970; d'Elia, 1970; Fleminger et al., 1970; Levy, 1968; Martin et al., 1965; Strain et al., 1968; Valentine et al., 1968; Zinkin and Birtchnell, 1968; Lancaster et al., 1958), although Lancaster (op. cit.) noted that it was as effective as bilateral ECT in relieving certain other psychotic symptoms, such as catatonia, stupor and hallucinations. This paper reports the comparative results in schizophrenia of bilaterally administered ECT and of ECT administered unilaterally to either the dominant or the non-dominant hemisphere.