The year 1997 is a historic year on many counts. It is on the one hand the Golden Jubilee year of our Nation, as also of the Indian Psychiatric Society. Our meeting here today is a historic event which marks an important epoch in the development in this field of specialisation - as it is the first ever meeting of Military Psychiatry section of Indian Psychiatric Society. However the world of today has moved far from the ideals which we upheld on our path which brought us to this important point. Unfortunately, moral and ethical values have deteriorated across the body politic. Apprehension of this state affecting our profession also, has prompted me to speak today on the subject of, "Prevention of Misuse of Psychiatry in the Armed Forces".

The study was conducted with the aim of studying the wives of patients with psychosexual dysfunction with regard to the level of distress experienced and its relationship with their psychosocial dysfunction and marital adjustment. The sample comprised wives of 30 male patients with psychosexual dysfunction. Majority of the subjects was under matriculate, housewives, Hindus, and of urban background. Majority of their husbands suffered from combination of premature ejaculation and failure of genital response (60%). The subjects were found to be significantly more distressed, exhibited mild degree of psychosocial dysfunctioning. However, they had normal marital adjustment. The interrelationship between these three variables showed significantly positive correlation between distress and psychosocial dysfunction. Marital adjustment showed significant negative correlation with both the distress experienced and psychosocial dysfunctioning. These findings not only have implication for the management of these disorders, but may have prognostic value as well.

Neuropsychological impairments punctuate the early neurological involvement among HIV-1 infected patients. Three groups of patients, twenty in each were selected. The first group consisted of seronegative local controls, the second being a group of asymptomatic seropositive patients and the third a group of seropositive symptomatic individuals. All these three groups were tested using standard neuropsychological tests. Results indicate that a broad spectrum of impairments occur in the seropositive patients and that the impairments of various functions occur at different phases of the illness. The importance of these findings in prediction of early neurological disturbance is highlighted and their significance in the total management and rehabilitation is discussed.

National mental health programme envisaged integration of mental health care services into primary health care facilities. A house-to-house survey in 9 villages of a block situated near Lucknow city was conducted. A large number of villagers were aware of mental symptoms and indicated drugs as first choice of treatment. However, the majority preferred Government Hospitals and Private Doctors over Mental Hospitals and psychiatrists respectively. There was trend for utilization of available medical facilities but the community was largely unsatisfied with the available treatment facilities for mentally sick. The community suggests alternatives for the delivery of mental health care services based on their expectations. The results have been discussed vis-a-vis existing mental health care services.

225 alcoholics in village and 149 alcoholics in a mental hospital outpatients were administered screening questionnaires for alcoholics status (MAST) dependence (SADD), and consumption data (Q.F. Index). All of them underwent GGT and MCV estimation within 48 hours of last drinking. Comparison of laboratory test with the questionnaires revealed that questionnaires were more useful in community and the laboratory test in hospital where they could also be used in diagnosing monitoring and follow-up assessment of patients.

In a prospective open trial, 30 inpatients with catatonic signs were treated systematically with oral lorazepam (dosage ranging between 3 to 8 mg/d) for a period of 5 days and subsequently with ECT if lorazepam trial failed. Outcome was monitored quantitatively during the treatment phase with Bush-Francis catatonia rating scale. In 21 out of 30 patients (70%), catatonic signs resolved with lorazepam trial. The response to lorazepam on Day 1, predicted the final outcome. Demographic variables, severity of catatonia or length of catatonic syndrome prior to treatment did not have any predictive value. Majority of the patients who showed an unfavourable response, did well with electroconvulsive therapy. A short duration lorazepam administration proved to be a safe and effective treatment for the catatonic syndrome.

Efficacy and safety of new antipsychotic agent-risperidone was evaluated in the confirmed schizophrenic patients of either sex, over 15 years of age. Of the 30 patients who entered the study, 27 completed the trial as per the protocol and only 3 dropped out, one was lost to follow up, the other was an uncooperative patient who pulled out of the trial due to moderate side effects while one patients withdrew the consent at his own free will. The significant improvements were seen in the broad range of symptoms of schizophrenia at various time points in the trial. The significant beneficial effect on negative symptoms was particularly obvious. The drug was well tolerated by most patients, and side effects, when reported, were mild. Even the extrapyramidal symptoms reported could be easily controlled with oral trihexyphenidyl hydrochloride. The exhaustive extrapyramidal symptom rating scale also did not show any worsening during risperidone therapy. The efficacy and safety profile of novel antipsychotic drug risperidone makes it a useful therapeutic agent in the broad range of patients with schizophrenia.

There has been considerable research on the influence of the lunar cycle on mental illness with conflicting findings. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between full moon (FM), new moon (NM), and other moon (OM) days and the frequency of specific psychiatric disorders in patients seen at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Goa and to examine relationships with eclipses. Analysis of all new patients in two calendar years (1997 & 1993) was carried out. Diagnoses of interest were : Non affective psychoses; depression; and mania. The numbers of new patients seen at the OPD of the Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour, Goa, with these diagnoses were compared between FM, NM and OM days. Numbers of patients with these diagnoses on eclipse days (lunar/solar) were also examined. A significant trend was observed for greater numbers of patients with non-affective psychoses on FM days, but no pattern was observed for mania or depression. The excess of non-affective psychoses was more marked on days of a visible lunar eclipse. A relationship between FM and non-affective psychoses has been demonstrated. Its implications for further research and the potential mechanism to explain these findings are discussed.

Stress and adjustment in diabetics is studied in order to know the influence of maladjustment and stress in the causation of the disease. The sample of study consists of 100 diabetics patients, 100 nonpsychosomatic and 100 normal person. Results obtained are discussed in detail. It is concluded that maladjustment and stress are important contributing factors in' diabetes mellitus.

This case report describes a case of a 23 years old female who presented with clinical features of postpartum psychosis (Psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, DSM-IV). On investigation she was found to be suffering from Sheehan's syndrome (postpartum pituitary infarction). It was interesting to note that all the clinical features of Sheehan's syndrome and psychosis improved with hormone replacement therapy and she did not require treatment with antipsychotic medications.

This case report of Turner's syndrome with mania highlights an extremely rare combination of two disorders. The implications of X linkage in bipolar disorder is discussed.

An epileptic patient on high dose carbamazepine monotherapy received erythromycin from a physician and ketoconazole from a dermatologist. Carbamazepine neurotoxicity developed as a result of a pharmacokinetic interaction between the three drugs. Precautions are suggested to minimize the risk of such drug interactions that span medical specializations.

Musical obsessions are rare in both clinical practice and literature. A case is presented of a musical obsession which had the additional unique characteristics of acute onset, marked severity, and occurrence as an isolated symptom.

Acute psychoses have been reported to occur more frequently in summer. This is a report of seasonal recurrence of acute psychosis in a patient. This case report emphasizes towards the biological etiology of acute psychoses.