Introduction:Lithium “the magic pill” past its discovery remained the respite for patients with bipolar disorders for decades. The prescriptions of lithium were replaced by other drugs because of the cumbersome monitoring, adverse effect profile, narrow therapeutic index, and frequent comorbidities in patients. The objectives of this study were to understand the knowledge, attitude, and practice of lithium by a subset of psychiatrists in India, which will help us understand the theory–practice gap and for devising strategies to bridge the existing gap.Materials and Methods:The current study was an online survey which included 103 psychiatrists from India of either gender and any age group. Predesigned questionnaire about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of lithium use was circulated for 1 month (March 2018). We received 135 responses (31% response rate), of which 32 were incomplete. Hence, the total sample of psychiatrists included in the study was 103.Results:The results suggest that most practitioners included in the survey had knowledge about the effects, adverse effects, and the monitoring protocols and were comfortable in using lithium in patients on outpatient basis. Despite being aware of the indications, the psychiatrists were skeptical in starting lithium due to multitude of perceived barriers such as comorbidities, patient's low adherence to blood monitoring, and adverse effects.Conclusions:Clinicians should be well aware of the adverse effects, monitoring protocols, which will help them to use lithium in a more appropriate manner.

BACKGROUND: The lack of fundamental knowledge and awareness about the biological process of reproduction is low worldwide but has reportedly higher incidence rates in under-developed countries. Infertility can have a tremendous effect on a woman's psychological and social well-being, pushing her toward mental stress, anxiety, depression self-blame, self-isolation, feeling of worthlessness, and lack of interest in life. The present study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge and awareness regarding factors affecting fertility and also to ascertain the emotional status of females visiting the Obstetrics and Gynecology out-patient department for fertility assistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed by using a questionnaire which had two parts; the first part had questions about awareness and knowledge of the subject of infertility, and the second part had 12 questions that assessed the psychological and emotional status of the participants, and it also explored prevailing myths about infertility based on a validated questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in mean knowledge score; those who were more educated had better knowledge of various aspects of infertility. The overall adequacy for knowledge and awareness revealed that only 62 (47.7%) of the participants had adequate knowledge (score >6) regarding female infertility. The mean score for knowledge among all the respondents was 6.61 ± 1.48. The overall emotional and psychological score suggested that 30 (23%) of the respondents were disturbed because of stress because of infertility. CONCLUSION: Infertility can have a serious impact on the psychological well-being of females, and social pressure and stigma associated with childlessness can further worsen the physical and emotional well-being of couples, which needs to be addressed before starting treatment of infertility for a better response to treatment. The limited knowledge and prevailing mis-conceptions regarding infertility need to be sincerely dealt with to complement the medical treatment of infertility.

BackgroundApart from the alcohol effects on various domains of health, the effect on sexual health is the most concerning aspect to the individual. Chronic alcohol intake leads to sexual dysfunction leading to interpersonal difficulties which further worsens alcohol dependence creating a vicious cycle. MethodologyThis is a cross-sectional study done at an inpatient psychiatry ward of a tertiary care hospital after taking institutional ethical clearance and due informed consent from the participants. The study sample comprised of 50 alcohol dependent subjects and 50 healthy controls taken by purposive sampling based on the inclusion criteria. Subjects were rated on the Arizona sexual experiences (ASEX) scale for various aspects of sexuality and on the New sexual satisfaction scale (NSS) for the degree of sexual satisfaction. WHO-Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF was used to assess the quality of life in both groups. Data was collected and analyzed using MS Excel and SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA), ResultsThe prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the study was about 40% with an inability to reach and satisfaction with orgasm (38% and 28% respectively) the most common followed by erectile dysfunction (26%). The patients with alcohol dependence had a significantly higher degree of sexual dysfunction, poor sexual satisfaction, and low quality of life compared to controls. With correlation analysis, the total scores on ASEX were positively correlated with the duration of alcohol use and dependence. ConclusionsThis study concludes that sexual dysfunction is common and seen in nearly half of the patients with alcohol dependence affecting desire, erection, and satisfaction with orgasm. Alcohol dependence further impairs the sexual satisfaction and quality of life of the individual. This information can be utilized in motivational interviewing of patients with alcohol dependence by addressing both the problems simultaneously to improve sexual functioning and quality of life.

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