Mood disorders on rise in city

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 18

There has been a dramatic rise in the patients of mood disorders and schizophrenia in the district. While in December 2016, a total of 1,092 cases associated with various mental disorders were reported at the psychiatric ward in the civil hospital, in January this year, the cases have risen to 1,150.

If the cases of addiction-related psychological disorders are taken into consideration, which include 457 in December 2016 and 415 in January 2017, the number of total patients is 1,569 in December 2016 and 1,550 in January 2017.

In one month, the number of patients suffering from mood disorders reported at the civil hospital has risen by over 200. While 542 patients of mood disorders underwent psychiatric treatment at the civil hospital in January this year, in December 2016, the number was merely 301.

A staggering number of schizophrenia patients are also being reported at the civil hospital. While in December 2016, 251 patients had been reported, in January 2017, schizophrenia patients at the civil hospital reached 195.

The number of patients of episodic and paroxysmal disorders reported at the civil hospital also registered an unusual high with 301 having been reported in December last year and 200 cases being reported this year in January. The number of patients suffering from neurotic stress-related disorders is also substantial. While 127 cases were reported in January 2017, the number was 149 in December 2016.

Including addiction-related disorders, alcohol consumption, opioids and poly substance abuse remain chief reasons for psychiatric disorders. However, these have undergone a marginal reduction this month.

While 156 cases of psychological problems due to opioid consumption were reported in January 2017, in December 2016 these were 176. Meanwhile, psychologial disorders triggered by alcohol were 100 in 2016 and have come down to 74 this year. Poly substance abuse also remains a chief factor causing psychiatric problems among the total patients reported – while 176 such cases were reported in December 2016, in January 2017, the cases reported have been 135.

Dr Sanjay Khanna, psychiatrist at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, said, “A co-morbidity between mood disorder and substance abuse patients has been witnessed. Often depressive or mentally ill patients resort to substance abuse which worsens their situation. However, among schizophrenics, substance abuse hasn’t been seen to be a factor. By the time the patients suffering from schizophrenia reach us, their cases have already worsened to a large extent. While urbanisation is itself leading to stress among the people, in the rural areas, witch doctors damage many cases where it has been seen the patient is eventually rendered untreatable.

“It has also been observed that people also lack awareness and don’t try to reach out to doctors, which worsens the situation. Means of effective outreach and identification of hidden patients might go a long way in solving this crisis.”