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Biomedical subjects

L Vijayakumar

Publications and source records attributed to L Vijayakumar.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Mental health status in children exposed to tsunami.

As a vulnerable group, children are more prone to experiencing trauma and its sequelae. After the Asian tsunami we set out to evaluate the effect of exposure to the tsunami nearly one year after the event and to explore the family history of psychopathology on the mental health of children. This community-based study of 230 children was conducted in Srinivasapuram, a coastal village in Tamil Nadu. A youth self-report form (YSR) of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), exposure to the tsunami, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and family history of psychopathology were assessed. The severity of exposure to the tsunami correlated with anxiety and somatic domains of the DSM IV and PTSD symptoms. Family history of psychopathology correlated with affective and somatic symptoms. Multiple regression analysis revealed that family psychopathology influenced affective problems (R2 = 0.071 (n = 199), F = 15.13, p = 0.00) while exposure to the tsunami influenced anxiety problems (R2 = 0.046 (n = 208), F = 9.91, p = 0.002). The findings from this study reveal that targeted specialized mental health services are needed for children with severe exposure to the tsunami and positive family history of psychopathology.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Controlling the environment to prevent suicide: international perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Suicide and suicidal behaviour are multifaceted events requiring complex solutions. Controlling the environment is a neglected solution, despite strong support for this approach from the World Health Organization (WHO). METHOD: To discuss this approach from a global view, this review is written by authors from various cultures: American, Australian, Canadian, Chinese, Cuban, Dutch, Indian, Irish, Japanese, Lithuanian, Native North American, Russian, and South African. RESULTS: We examine gun control to illustrate the environmental control approach; however, the worldwide diversity of suicide methods calls for diverse responses. Further, controlling the environment encompasses more than restricting the means of suicide, which we illustrate with examples of toned-down media reports and restricted medicine availability. CONCLUSIONS: Controlling the environment may be a viable strategy for preventing suicide, although research shows that few clinicians implement such approaches.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
PubMed1999

Are risk factors for suicide universal? A case-control study in India.

OBJECTIVE: The majority of suicides in India occur in the young. Indian society, religion and culture are very different to those in the West. The aim of the present study was to identify the risk factors for completed suicide. METHOD: A population-based case-control study employing the 'psychological autopsy' technique was conducted. In total, 100 completed suicides and 100 neighbourhood controls were studied. RESULTS: The odds ratios for the risk factors were 19.5 (CI, 7.32-73.35) for presence of an Axis I disorder, 12.75 (CI, 4.69-48.59) for family history of psychopathology and 15.1 (CI, 2.4-93.9) for life events in the previous month. CONCLUSION: The presence of an Axis I disorder, family history of psychopathology and recent life events were all found to be significant risk factors. These findings suggest that risk factors for completed suicide are universal across countries and cultures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Attitudes towards suicide among medical students: comparison between Madras (India) and Vienna (Austria).

Attitudes towards suicide among medical students in Madras (India) and Vienna (Austria) were compared using the SUIATT questionnaire by Diekstra and Kerkhof (1989). Results show a very restrictive attitude in Madras, rejecting the right to commit suicide, nearly always judging suicide as a cowardly act, and rejecting the idea of assisted suicide. On the other hand, in Vienna a more permissive attitude was found. It is interpreted that the Indian pattern comes close to a "medical" or "disease model", with stronger emphasis on mental illness, impulsiveness and emotional aspects, whereas the Viennese pattern reflects a "theoretical", "rational model", concentrating on cognitive factors and minimizing the influence of mental illness, emotional difficulties and restrictions related to suicidal behaviour. This pattern may be influenced by the public discussion on assisted suicide and the right to die in Europe in the last decade. Possible relations to the risk for actual suicidal behaviour are discussed using respective answers concerning previous suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The answers concerning suicidal ideation seem to be strongly influenced by the different attitude patterns: only 16.8% reported previous suicidal ideation in Madras, compared to 51.5% in Vienna, whereas the percentage of reported suicide attempts is equal in both centres (5.9%:4.9%).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Suicide pacts.

Suicide pacts in an Indian population were studied through police records of the state of Tamul Nadu. A total of 148 suicide pacts, involving 324 persons, were identified. More women died in them than might be expected from general population figures. Social stressors like financial problems and marriage-related issues were the principal causes. The results and their implications are discussed and compared with those obtained in Western and other Eastern countries.

Adolescent↗