Introduction: Increased use of smartphones can lead to smartphone addiction and “no-mobile-phone-phobia” known as nomophobia. During an ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, to tackle an issue of boredom, many people including undergraduate health sciences students (HSSs) are using smartphones, leading to an increased risk of smartphone addiction and nomophobia. During lockdown, many universities have shifted the mode of learning to e-classes by using an internet-based technology on smartphones, which may contribute to increased exposure to smartphones, leading to an increased risk of smartphone addiction among students. Objective: To assess an impact of COVID-19 lockdown on smartphone addiction and severity of nomophobia among UG HSSs. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted at a rural tertiary health-care center in Maharashtra state of India with a sample size of 412. Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version was used to assess smartphone addiction and Nomophobia Questionnaire was used to assess nomophobia. Results: Majority (69.7%) reported inability to concentrate on studies at home due to increased use of smartphone during the COVID-19 lockdown. Boredom (32.8%) was the most bothering thing during lockdown, and to tackle it, 55.8% reported of using smartphone. 97.6% had nomophobia and 45.1% had smartphone addiction. There was increase in the prevalence of smartphone addiction and nomophobia during the COVID-19 lockdown as compared to the prevalence from studies which were conducted in the pre-COVID-19 lockdown period. Conclusion: Appropriate measures should be taken by health sciences universities and authorities to address an issue of smartphone addiction and nomophobia so that students can concentrate on their studies at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Delusion of pregnancy is relatively rare phenomenon encountered in psychiatric patients but is reported frequently in developing countries. It can be associated with both psychiatric and neurological disorders. We are reporting a case of delusion of pregnancy that developed in a drug-naïve young woman secondary to auditory hallucination with normal body mass index with no neurological cause due to paranoid schizophrenia. Till date, only seven such cases were reported where auditory hallucinations were reported along with the belief in pregnancy. It should be differentiated from pseudocyesis/pseudopregnancy/simulated pregnancy/Couvade syndrome. Workup should include the identification of the psychosocial/cultural factors leading to the development of this phenomenon, although pharmacological treatment remains the mainstay of the treatment.

Psychological trauma occurs when a person suffers from serious threat or loss to his/her life. Childhood psychological trauma can be of various forms such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Such adverse childhood experiences, if not effectively dealt or resolved, may lead to the development of drug dependence including alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) in adult life. In many cases, development of ADS is preceded by the occurrence of childhood psychological trauma(s). Such a person with a history of childhood psychological traumas may consume alcohol to cope with his/her trauma-related distress. Alexithymia is a state characterized by a triad of difficulty in identifying one's own feelings, difficulty in differentiating between physical sensations and emotional arousal, and difficulty in explaining one's own feelings to others. Alexithymia has a role in the development of drug dependence including ADS. The number of childhood psychological trauma among persons with ADS was associated with alexithymia in adulthood. Childhood psychological traumas, mainly emotional abuse, might act as a predisposing factor for the development of alexithymia in persons suffering from ADS. This case series presented clinical picture of two individuals with ADS in which both childhood psychological trauma(s) and alexithymia were assessed by using standard and psychometrically valid psychological tools such as Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 item, respectively. This case series is unique because the assessment of childhood psychological trauma(s) and alexithymia is neglected area in Indian psychiatric research field and detailed ample of literature is not available at present in which the relationship between childhood psychological traumas, alexithymia, and ADS has been assessed. In the present case series, first individual with ADS had clinically significant alexithymia, severe emotional abuse, severe emotional neglect, moderate physical abuse, and moderate physical neglect, while second individual with ADS had no alexithymia but he had moderate-level emotional neglect and mild levels of emotional abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect.