SUMMARY Epilepsy is one of the most serious neurological conditions and has an impact not only on the affected individual but also on the family and, indirectly, on the community. A global approach to the individual must take into account cognitive problems, psychiatric comorbidities and all psychosocial complications that often accompany epilepsy. We discuss psychosocial issues in epilepsy wit...

1. Understand the complexity of factors that affect the life of an HIV-infected adult. 2. Evaluate and identify means of reducing the personal and socioeconomic effects of HIV/AIDS. 3. Identify and describe appropriate resources for care and support. 4. Identify how caring for people with HIV/AIDS affects health care providers. 5. Identify sources of stigma and discrimination and discuss ways o...

Keeping in view our socio cultural millieu, the psychological aspects of twenty renal transplants recipients and equal number of patients on dialysis were studied. Socio psychiatric profile in the dialysis and transplanted patients revealed that the frequency of anxiety, depression and hypochondriasis was significantly less (P less than 0.01) in the transplanted group. On Bender Gestalt Scale t...

Anumber of studies during the past decade have investigated the comorbidity of mental illness and diabetes. Studies that used structured diagnostic interviews found that the mean prevalence of current depression in diabetic subjects was 14.0% in controlled studies and 15.4% in uncontrolled studies. These rates are at least three times the 3%-4% prevalence of major depressive disorder found in t...

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus infecting over 170 million people worldwide. About 200 000 people in Australia are estimated to have chronic infection, with about 10 000 new infections yearly (Ministerial Advisory Committee, 2006). The most common cause of transmission (around 80%) is injecting drug use. Other causes include blood transfusions and other medical and dental procedures, either ...

The Tilak Venkoba Rao Oration is for the young scientist and before I deliberate on my subject it is my honoured right to speak for the young psychiatrists in our country. I have observed and experienced that the young psychiatrist is the most unfortunate person during his academic career. He is often discouraged from all quarters, so much so, that he feels that he has to struggle in order to d...