Dopamine (DA) auto receptor down regulation has been suggested to mediate the therapeutic effect of antidepressant treatments including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Suggestion has also been made that a single ECT may have antidepressant potential via such a mechanism. The present study was therefore conducted to assess the effects ill a single electroconvulsive shock (ECS) on dopamine auto receptors in the rat brain. Using the low dose, Apomorphine-induccd by pomotilily behavioural paradigm, DA auto receptor function was studied one and eight days alter a single true ECS, and 8 days alter a single sham ECS. No significant difference was observed between the groups. The results suggest that single ECS exerts neither acute nor time-dependant DA auto receptor effects; however, the issue in certain aspects remains open for further study.

58 cases of suicide were recorded in one year in a cluster of villages comprising a police-station area. The incidence was 43.4 per lakh. Women out numbered men. Two-thirds of the victims were aged below 25 years. In women the commonest cause of suicide was quarrel with husband and in men it was quarrel with parents. Poisoning with insecticide was the mode of suicide in an overwhelming majority of cases. The situational, psychological and socio-cultural perspectives have been discussed.

Hyperactive delirium following head injury is a common problem during the early recovery phase. Twenty-nine patients who evinced hyperactive delirium were prospectively followed up during; their stay In the hospital. Compared with controls, alcohol dependence was significantly more among these patients. Occurrence of delirium was related to the generalized cerebral disturbances; due to diffuse damage in acceleration injuries and due to metabolic or post-seizure disturbances in contact injuries. Follow-up of these patients showed that psychiatric problems were more common among them.

In a prospective follow-up of memory functions after head injury, 61 patients were tested with P.G.I. Memory Scale at the end of 18 months. Patients with acceleration injuries showed a poor performance in comparison to those with contact injuries. Memory was found to be related to indices of severity of injury, particularly post traumatic amnesia (PTA). Presence of fracture of skull or early neurological deficits was not associated with poor performance. Among contact injury patients, lateralization and location of the injury were not found to be discriminatory. Behaviour changes during follow-up were not significantly related to memory impairment.

Patterns of serum and C S F. IgG, IgA and IgM, and haemagglutination inhibiting (HI) antibodies and complement fixing (CF) antibodies against rubella and cytomegaloviruses respectively and total CSF protein were investigated in 30 depressives, 20 each in neurological and surgical patients. Significant changes in total CSF protein and immunoglobulins in depressives and neurological patients in comparison to surgical subjects indicate an etiological similarity between the two groups. Failure to detect antibodies in C.S.F. of these subjects and statistically insignificant seropositivity refute the claim of viral hypothesis for depression but similar alterations in these body proteins in depressives and neurological patients raise other aetiological possibilities.

Platelet MAO activity was estimated in 60 male drug free schizophrenics, 36 male drug free manics and 30 male normal healthy controls by Radio Isotopic Technique using ¹⁴ C Tryptamine Bisuccinate as substrate. There was no significant difference between the enzyme activity in the schizophrenic, manic and control groups. Platelet MAO activity in the disorganized catatonic and paranoid schizophrenics was significantly lower as compared to the enzyme activity in the manic and healthy control group. Platelet MAO activity appears to be related to subgroups of schizophrenia disorganized, catatonic and paranoid. Limitations and scope for future research have been outlined.

Koro is regarded as a psychogenic acute anxiety reaction since last forty years. In spite of quite a few research publications on koro during last twenty years, no report on psychometric assessment of anxiety level in Koro is available to substantiate this diagnostic status. The present study in this context is the first attempt of psychometric measurement of anxiety proneness or trait anxiety level in Koro patients. Trait anxiety measurement of 186 male Koro patients showed the presence ot higher level of trait anxiety in Koro than the normal sujects.

Service facilities for persons with severe mental retardation and multiple disabilities are meagre. The present study aims at analysing the problems of persons with severe mental retardation and multiple disabilities in terms of presenting complaints, previous consultations, aetiological factors and associated problems. Persons with severe mental retardation and multiple disabilities numbering 164 who sought services at NIMH over a period of 15 months were studied. They formed 22% of the total number of mentally retarded individuals registered during the period. The major presenting complaints were in the areas of sell help, language, epilepsy, motor problems and behaviour problems. Infection in Drain, birth anoxia and trauma were major aetiological categories in addition to a large number forming unknown category. Suitable service delivery models are suggested lot this population.

The pattern of drag use was studied in 213 heroin addicts, constituting 80.7% of the patient population attending ABHAY-II Deaddication Cum Rehabilitation Centre. All heroin addicts were male and 98.6% of all had consumed or have been consuming other drugs concurrently. Tobacco, cannabis and alcohol were the drugs commonly used by the addicts. The mean age for begining tobacco consumption was lowest and highest for medicinal drugs like sedatives, hypnotics and tranquillizers. The sequential pattern of drug use was tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, heroin, opium natural and medicines like sedatives, analgesics, hypnotics and tranquillizers. Most of the patients had been regular cannabis and alcohol users. Occassional use of opium or medicines was a result of substitution for heroin in an attempt to control the withdrawal symptoms.

36 subjects were included in a study on the efficacy of EMC biofeedback training in the management of anxiety neurosis. The outcome measures included a physiological stress profile and measures of anxiety symptoms, frontalis muscle tension, skin temperature and electrodermal activity. The data analysis indicated that the subjects were able to maintain reduced levels of frontalis muscle tension at rest and during the stress condition without concomitant changes in skin temperature or in electrodermal activity. This pattern of results supported the prediction of the motor skills learning model of EMG biofeedback. The clinical benefits of the training were manifested in the decreased anxiety symptom scores.

Present study suggest that changes in response to the post dexamethasone plasma Cortisol levels in the patients of major depression receiveing anti depressants (Imipramine and Amitryptyline) might represent a laboratory marker of clinical progress. We estimated post dexamethasone plasma Cortisol levels weekly in thirty hospitalized patients during pro-treatment, post-treatment and drug .free post-treatment wash out period. In most of the cases normalization of the post dexamethasone Cortisol levels coincided with clinical improvement and failure to normalize was often associated with poorer clinical recovery. No significant difference was observed in the treatment response between imipramine and amitryptyline based on post dexamethasone plasma Cortisol levels.

Stressful life events preceding neurotic disorders, their impact on neurotic patients in comparison to normal subjects and relationship of impact of stressful life-events to depression and anxiety scores were studied prospectively in 100 consecutive neurotic patients, diagnosed according to ICD-9 and 100 matched normal subjects in psychiatric O.P.D. of S.M.S. Hospital, Jaipur, by administering presumptive stressful life event scale, Beck's depression inventory and Max Hamilton anxiety rating scale. It was found that number of stressful life events was higher in neurotic patients and their impact was also perceived significantly higher in them. Significantly higher depression and anxiety scores had positive corelation to number and impact of stressful life events in-neurotic patients. Cause and effect relationship of impact of stressful life events to neuroses has been discussed.

A 35 years old physically healthy individual, being treated far depression with imipramine and electroplexy, developed cardiogenic shock which was managed successfully with inotropic support. The case is presented to highlight a rare and potentially fatal side effect of tricyclic anti-depressants.

Patient of "psychotic depression" who digested large quantity of water and subsequently developed grand mal seizure and serum sodium levels of less than 121 meq/litre is presented. The physiology of psychogenic polydypsia and related disorders is reviewed. The relation of this disorder to the use of phenothiazines and antidepressants is considered.