Background Mental health has been conceptualised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as not just the absence of illness but as a state of well-being in which the individual can cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to the community. To achieve this or to explain it to the stakeholders, a doctor needs to be well versed with the normal functioning of the human mind. Homoeopathic doctors must have this knowledge to help them understand and treat their patients or advise prevention. Lack of this knowledge in the undergraduate years fails to suitably equip them, thereby hampering their own growth and clinical functions. These papers (in two parts) will deal with the teaching of basic and applied psychology and abnormal psychology and psychiatry to homoeopathic undergraduates. Aim The main aim of this study is to teach homoeopathic undergraduate students the basic psychological concepts required for understanding human behaviour through cased based presentations Methodology Plan of teaching psychology to undergraduate students with a case-based approach was formulated by the Psychiatric Department of Dr. M.L. Dhawale Homoeopathic Institute (MLDMHI), Palghar. Postgraduate students prepared topics with the help of a lesson plan template under the guidance of faculty. Peer evaluation along with student feedback helped to gauge the impact of the lectures and to design improvements. Results Thirteen topics, one each week, covered the assigned portion for basic psychology. Reports of around 30 students and 2 lecturers for each lecture over 3 years were evaluated. These indicated satisfaction with contents and desire to have more such lectures. Multiple choice questions post lectures allowed to identify the changes in knowledge and interest of students in the subject. Discussion Basic and comprehensive knowledge of psychology will allow students/physicians to look at the cases not only from the view point of physical antecedents but also from a more holistic and comprehensive point of view. Conclusion Educational ethos demands the incorporation of case-based teaching in undergraduates especially in the teaching of psychology, to expose the shades of normal and abnormal states of mind through case-based teachings.

Background India faces a significant gap in the prevalence of mental illness and the availability of effective mental health care. A significant factor is inadequate teaching/training of the subject at the undergraduate level rendering physicians incapable to deliver homoeopathic care to the large number of mentally distressed which needs it. This is in spite of our science having an immense potential to benefit these patients. Part I of this series explored the impact of cased-based teaching on acquainting the students in the principles of basic and applied psychology. The current study builds on this experience. Aim The aim of this study was to teach the basic concepts of abnormal psychology and psychiatry and the homoeopathic approach to homoeopathic undergraduate students based on case-based presentations Methodology Plan of teaching abnormal psychology and psychiatry to undergraduate students with a case-based approach integrated with homoeopathic principles was formulated by the Psychiatric Department of Dr. M. L. Dhawale Homoeopathic Institute (MLDMHI), Palghar, Maharashtra, India. PG students prepared topics with the help of a lesson plan template guided by the faculty. Peer evaluation along with student feedback helped to gauge the impact of the lectures and to design improvements. Results Eleven topics, one each week, covered the assigned portion for basic abnormal psychology and psychiatry. Reports of minimum 30 students revealed that 80% were keenly interested in the topics and desired to have more such lectures. Half the students were able to answer all the five multiple-choice questions correctly. Discussion Basic and comprehensive knowledge of psychiatry integrated with homoeopathic principles will allow students/physicians to know how cases are managed homeopathically from a more holistic and comprehensive point of view. Conclusions Case-based presentations through the homoeopathic approach will enhance the confidence of the students in the ability of the science to take care of the psychologically distressed section of the population.

Epilepsy is a chronic and non-communicable disease of the brain. It is characterised by recurrent seizures resulting in involuntary movements that can be generalised or localised in a single body part. Management through modern medicine takes care of the attacks, but may not help the patient. This case report demonstrates the handling of a young athlete with epilepsy stuck between his desire and his conscience. Identification of defence mechanisms, utilising them in patient management and the process of identifying the remedy are discussed. The case demonstrates the role of holistic management with homoeopathy in cases of seizure disorder.

Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has affected the provision of psychiatric care across the world and the elderly have been the most disadvantaged. Psychological stress in them is not only due to excess mortality risk but also due to restrictions instituted to mitigate the chances of contracting COVID. The current pandemic is likely to lead to substantial changes in the health-care services as it has shown the need for improved multidisciplinary and community- centered care. The purpose of this paper is to address the challenges faced while implementing a multidisciplinary structured programme for the mental well-being in residents of old age home and assess the role played by the sustainable multidisciplinary structured interventions to alleviate the psychological suffering. The old age home in the study is situated in a remote area of Palghar district. Availing of required medical health-care facility during a pandemic was a challenge in itself, where delivering the multidisciplinary intervention for mental well-being was a much needed and never tested in such a setup. Material and Methods: Primary screening and knowledge of acute and chronic stressors revealed the current status of emotional wounds and hence the emotional sensitivity of the group. Scales (generalised anxiety disorder [GAD-7], patient health questionnaires [PHQ-2] and dementia assessment by rapid test [DART]) were employed to evaluate intensity of anxiety, depressive symptoms and dementia. Techniques to deal with distress demonstrated in each session were based on action learning principles. Structured group interventions were done through relevant videos, group discussions, relaxation techniques, meditation and physical exercise by the team of homoeopathic physicians, psychologist and physiotherapist. Results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in anxiety following intervention, z = −3.886, P < 0.001, with a large effect size (r =.57). The median score on the anxiety decreased from 10 to 4 in a span of 10 months. No significant improvement was found in physical health and cognitive impairment.

Hemoptysis is an important and alarming symptom with various etiologies. A thorough evaluation should be done by the clinician to identify the underlying pathology and site of bleeding, so that the appropriate treatment can be planned. In our review article, we describe the various etiologies of hemoptysis and define the approach to hemoptysis for the clinician and the relevant investigations. We performed literature searches in PubMed for keywords “Hemoptysis and Approach and Diagnosis” using Medical Subject Heading terms. The etiology of hemoptysis may sometimes be missed by an incomplete initial diagnosis; hence, the diagnostic work up should be exhaustive. Optimal diagnostic workup remains largely unclear. Through our review, we have described the causes of hemoptysis, provided an essential diagnostic pathway according to the accuracy of the investigations, and tried to fill the gaps regarding the subject.