Background: Although widely acknowledged that adequate maternal nutrition is important for mother and baby, limited research has focussed on women with severe mental illnesses (SMI) in pregnancy. The present study reports on nutritional factors and food choices and investigates barriers and facilitators to healthy nutritional choices by pregnant women with SMI. Methods: A prospective mixed method study was undertaken of 38 pregnant women with SMI, including a cross-sectional survey, a food frequency questionnaire and 12 postnatal qualitative interviews, with integrated analysis of all data. Results: Elevated rates of obesity (35%) were found, with 82% of women having above the recommended gestational weight gain. Despite perceived knowledge, 32% of women did not meet any of the Five Food Group serving recommendations for pregnancy and consumed above-recommended levels for processed (19%) and sugar snacks (51%). Thematic analysis identified four main barriers: a discrepancy between knowledge and action, food cravings, mental health, and physical health. During pregnancy, food cravings were reported in 66% of women, psychological distress in 71% and physical distress in 37%. Screening identified 19% with potential eating disordered behaviours. Despite the challenges, several facilitators were identified and covered three themes: access to a dietitian, information delivery and support, and comprehensive care. Discussion: Women with SMI in pregnancy struggle with issues of obesity, gestational weight gain, food cravings and possible eating disorder behaviours. They have additional challenges when pregnant, with management of their mental health and physical health having a direct impact. Interventional strategies in this population should incorporate findings from this research.

Context: Adaptation needs of senior citizens are not well explored in research, especially among people living in old age homes situated in developing countries like India. Aim: The aim of the study was to understand the needs and concerns of senior citizens living in old age homes and its effect on their adaptation. Subjects and Methods: Using the purposive sampling method, fifteen residents of an old age home and their three caregivers were interviewed to describe their views and experiences. The tools used were the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and an in-depth interview schedule. Statistical Analysis: Qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas ti. 7 for identifying major themes and subthemes. Results: The results showed that the major needs and concerns of senior citizens were unmet medical needs, difficulty to handle negative attitudes of staff, difficulty to adapt with new environment and culture, and emotional issues. Conclusion: Findings indicate the importance of addressing the adaptation needs of the elderly living in old age homes.

Objectives: Being a health-care worker is in additional psychological impact than the general population. Due to their active involvement in the battle against a bewildering virus outbreak. This create s added stress in fear of spreading the disease to their loved ones. Furthermore, more worried about the stigma feeling and working under extreme pressure. We aimed to assess the job stress, anxiety depression, and coping among health-care workers during COVID 2nd wave pandemic. Material and Methods: It is a hospital–based, cross-sectional study conducted in SMVMCH, Puducherry. 364 participants of frontline workers, who worked during the COVID 2nd wave were taken into study after informed consent. The symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress are assessed using Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and the coping measures using Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Results: In our study, 94.1% of participants had depression, 95.8% of participants had anxiety, and 81% of participants had stress. Factors that are associated with stress, anxiety, and depression among the health-care workers were the presence of medical comorbidities in family members of health-care workers, vaccination against COVID virus, health-care workers infected with COVID-19, and family members of health-care workers who have demised due to COVID infection. Conclusion: Frontline employees were found to be working in stressful situations with varying degrees of psychiatric morbidities. COVID hospitals need to build a better psychological support system.

Objectives: In Shakespeare’s play “Othello,” the maid Emilia tells Othello that the moon has drawn too close to the Earth — and driven men insane. The notion that a full moon can elicit strong emotions, strange behavior, and even physical disease is not merely literary. Even now, it is a deeply held notion. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of the lunar cycle on the psychiatric presentation of individuals with schizophrenia, BPAD mania, and ATPD. Material and Methods: Case files of Schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) mania and psychosis patients admitted in our hospital during full moon and new moon ± 3 days for the past 5 years will be included in the study. Name, age, sex, duration of admission, worsening of symptoms during full moon day and new moon day, any injectable given or not will be noted. These data will be collected from medical records. Telephonic verification of symptom worseness during full moon and new moon will be done. Results: Among 207 participants 74 patients had Schizophrenia, 91 patients had BPAD mania, 25 patients had ATPD and 17 patients had acute psychosis. The exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, chemical restraints, and admission during phases of moon was statistically associated with lunar patterns in the study population. The rest of the socio-demographic factors, duration of admission, caregiver belief, and symptom worsening noted by caregiver were all not associated with mental illness during lunar phases which is in line with most reported literature in this area. Conclusion: There was an association between symptom exacerbations, chemical restraints, admission with different lunar phase. There was no association for sociodemographic details, duration of admission, caregiver belief on symptom worsening, symptom worsening noted by caregiver with different lunar phases.