Background:Globally, depression compromises the quality of life (QOL) of people suffering from it. We assessed the impact of comorbid depression on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of adults on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in northeastern Nigeria in this study.Materials and Methods:Three hundred and three adults on HAART were recruited for this study from the ART clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in northeastern Nigeria. The depressive disorder module of the Composite international diagnostic interview (CIDI version 3.0) and the WHO quality of life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) were used for the evaluation of depression and quality of life respectively.Results:The prevalence of depression in this study was 19.8%. The depressed respondents rated their HRQOL poorer than their nondepressed counterparts on the physical, psychological, social relationships and environmental domains as well as the global outcome, as shown by these statistically significant findings (T = 9.739, P = <0.001), (T = 8.972, P = <0.001), (T = 6.533, P = <0.001), (T = 8.913, P = <0.001), and (T = 10.018, P = <0.001), respectively. Female gender, CD4 counts <200/mm3 and diagnosis of depression were significant predictors poor QOL.Conclusion:Depression has a negative impact on the QOL of the respondents. We therefore recommend incorporation of the routine screening of this important psychiatric comorbidity into the care of this vulnerable group in order to optimize patient care.

Background: Substance use disorders present with multiple drug-related problems that need to be evaluated with a view to planning and administering holistic interventions that could potentially improve addiction treatment outcomes. Many valid instruments are available for assessing the problems that occur in addiction but most of them require some training and they take a lot of time to administer. This study validates a shorter self-administered version of the Addiction severity Index (ASI) against the Clinician-administered ASI with a view to cutting the time needed to administer the instrument. Methods: The study recruited 142 patients in a residential treatment center. Correlation coefficient and t -test were used to assess for the convergence of the two version. Results: The correlation coefficients ranged from 0.52 to 0.97 for the different domain of the ASI with higher endorsement of problems in the self-administered than clinician administered version in most domains. Conclusion: The self-administered ASI is a valid alternative to the clinician-administered ASI and it saves valuable time especially in resource-constrained settings.

Purpose:  Differences in cultural values, norms and conceptualization of mental illness may influence mental illness stigma differently across the globe. Both public and self stigma have widely been researched globally however, little is known about the specific experiences of stigma that females, and in particular mothers, with schizophrenia encounter as parents in Nigeria. The study aims to explore and compare internalized stigma among female parents and female non-parents.  The secondary aim is to explore if any association exist between cultural beliefs on parenting with mental illness and internalized stigma among female patients with schizophrenia. Methodology: 142 female patients with schizophrenia attending the GOPD clinic at FNPH Maiduguri recruited through convenience sampling completed the study.  They completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and a modified version of the Internalized stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI). Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Differences in self stigma were compared using chi-square for categorical variables and student t- test for continuous variables.  P-value was set at 0.05.    Findings: A total of 65 (75.6%) female parents and 32 (57.1%) of female non parents with schizophrenia had high self stigma. Female parents had a statically significant higher level of self stigma on the alienation subscale as well as the total score.  Myths and misconceptions about parenting with mental illness were rampant. Conclusion: Self stigma is more prevalent among female parents with schizophrenia, with cultural beliefs and practices playing an important role in influencing stigma of mental illness. Further research of the impact of cultural factors on stigma of mental illness and culture specific interventions should be explored to reduce self stigma among parents with mental illness.

The study examined psycho-demographic factors as predictors of depression among persons with diabetes mellitus in