BACKGROUND Uterus holds a deeply symbolic meaning to women. Its removal can have a significant effect on one's quality of life, sexual functioning and psychological well-being. Aims and Objectives-To evaluate the quality of life, sexual satisfaction and psychiatric co-morbidity in women posted for hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS 30 subjects aged between 18 and 50 years were taken for convenience, posted for hysterectomy, were evaluated using a semistructured socio-demographic proforma, World Health Organisation Quality of Life-BREF, sexual satisfaction scale for women and clinical version of Structured Clinical Interview DSM-IV before surgery. Statistical analysis used-Parameters were assessed using correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney U-test and the p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Setting and Design-Study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. A cross-sectional study design was used. RESULTS Subjects with low income and who were literates showed statistically significant psychological problems. Quality of life of those with low income was also significantly affected in environmental domain. CONCLUSION High prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidity, decreased sexual satisfaction and quality of life pre-operatively in women posted for hysterectomy suggests the need for better awareness among treating professionals and need for adequate psychological support for them.

BACKGROUND In India, the number of suicides and attempted suicides have increased significantly. Moreover, the suicide attempt rates are found to be higher than rates for completed suicides. Therefore, present study aimed to investigate the socio-demographic characteristics and suicide data on attempted suicides. MATERIALS AND METHODS 75 cases of attempted suicide individuals admitted to MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, when declared medically/surgically stable and referred to Psychiatry Department, were recruited for the study. Detailed interview with the patient was conducted and information obtained was compiled in a specially designed proforma. RESULTS Majority of the subjects were aged less than 30 years (77.3%), females (66.7%), married (56%), educated only up to high school or less (70.7%), were Hindus (90.7%) and from nuclear family (73.3%). Housewives (30.7%) and farmers (21.35%) were the common occupational groups. Significant past and family history of suicidal behaviour, psychiatric and physical illness was present. Most attempts took place at patient's house (78.7%). Organophosphorus compound poisoning was the most common method of attempt (38.7%) with interpersonal problems in the family (38.7%) as the most common precipitating factor. CONCLUSION In conclusion young adults, females with low socioeconomic and educational status, having significant past and family history of suicidal behaviour and psychiatric illnesses were at increased risk of suicide attempt. High intent among suicide attempters was associated with high hopelessness score and presence of current psychiatric illness. Also, high hopelessness score was associated with presence of current psychiatric illness.

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BACKGROUND Substance abuse is a cause of deaths, global burden of disease and injury. Increasing trends of underage substance abuse have shown to be associated with future substance dependency. Understanding various factors associated with it will help mitigate the severity and extent of use. In this study, we wanted to find out the pattern of substance abuse in patients at a de-addiction centre in Bangalore. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 male patients admitted to a deaddiction centre in Bangalore. Information was collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaire forms and the collected data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) v 16.0 software. RESULTS The majority of the participants abused alcohol (92.4 %) and nicotine (74.2 %). 40.5 % of the participants initiated alcohol abuse in age groups of 12 – 18 (Years). Peer pressure (40.4 %) and curiosity (19 %) were observed as the most common reason for substance abuse. The common reason to seek de-addiction services was family pressure (22.4 %), physical health problems (14.2 %), family responsibility (12.4 %) fear of being a social outcast in the community (12 %) and psychiatric problems (10.6 %). Among the participants, 39.4 % had a family history of substance abuse and 41 % had a history of psychiatric illness. 47.4 % reported a history of child abuse. CONCLUSIONS Most participants initiated abuse before age of 25 mainly due to peer pressure. Proper enforcement of rules concerning under-aged substance abuse, proper peer and familial support, addressing concerns of psychiatric comorbidity and child abuse can decrease the chances of future dependency and thus lessen the burden of the problem. KEYWORDS De-Addiction Centre, Under-Aged Substance Abuse, Family History, Psychiatric Illness

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