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V K Varma

Publications and source records attributed to V K Varma.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Multiple personality in India: comparison with hysterical possession state.

This article reports probably the first case of multiple personality from India and compares and contrasts it with the hysterical possession syndrome. Attention is drawn to the apparent rarity of multiple personality in contrast to the great prevalence of the possession syndrome in India (and other underdeveloped societies), while the reverse applies to Western Europe and North America. It is postulated that the disparity of frequency between the two manifestations of personal-identity disturbance derives from certain basic cultural differences. It is argued that polytheism and belief in reincarnation and spirits may be related to the possession syndrome, whereas high social approval of deliberate role-playing may foster the multiple personality syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Non-medical drug use amongst non-student youth in India.

In a survey of non-medical drug use by 266 non-students in the age range 10-24 years, tobacco, alcohol and cannabis were found to be the drugs more commonly used. Use was greater in males, older age groups, those with lower educational levels and those from urban areas. In comparison to students, among non-students use was practically limited to tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, the use was more regular and the age at onset lower. In a pilot trial of two additional strategies to identify drug users among non-student youth, namely cross-validation by fellow employees and verbal group administration of the questionnaire, the number of current users identified was very similar to that found by individual verbal administration, suggesting that these cheaper methods may be useful in some circumstances.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Effect of chlorpromazine on human growth hormone.

The authors studied basal HGH levels and HGH response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in 12 schizophrenic patients who had been treated with 200--450 mg/day of chlorpromazine for 6 months to 4 years compared with 12 schizophrenic patients who had received no drugs and 15 normal control subjects. They found no significant differences among the three groups in basal HGH levels or in maximum response HGH levels. No significant correlation was found between duration or dose of chlorpromazine therapy and HGH secretion. Longitudinal study in 5 previously untreated schizophrenic patients during 13 weeks of chlorpromazine administration showed a nonsignificant reduction in HGH response. Thus, the authors' findings fail to demonstrate any significant effect of chlorpromazine on growth hormone secretion in man.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Socio-cultural and clinical determinants of symptomatology in obsessional neurosis.

Eighty-two obsessional neurotics were studied from a phenomenological viewpoint in order to unmask the clinical and socio-cultural determinants of symptom-choice in this disorder. The form of obsessions and compulsions seemed to be affected primarily by intrinsic factors (age, sex, I.Q.) while their content was affected equally, if not more, by extrinsic factors (religion, locality, social class). Patient's age at the onset of illness seemed to be an extremely relevant factor insofar as it affected both the form and the content of symptoms. Some socio-cultural explanations have been offered these findings. The data is important insofar as it provides a baseline for cross-cultural studies of the phenomenology of obsessional illness.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A phenomenological analysis of symptoms in obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Eighty-two obsessional neurotics were studied from a phenomenological point of view in order to delineate the various forms and contents of obsessions and compulsions. An attempt was made to ascertain the frequency with which the different forms and content occur and their effect on the final outcome of the disorder. Five types of obsessions were identified: doubts, obsessive thinking, fears, impulses, and images, in order of frequency of their occurrence. Compulsive acts could be classified in two types, depending on whether they yielded to or diverted the underlying obsession. One-fourth of the patients displayed no compulsions. The content of obsession could be classified in five broad categories as relating to: dirt and contamination, aggression, inanimate-impersonal themes, religion, and sexual matters, in order of the frequency of their occurrence. The paper, while offering an interpretation of these findings, emphasizes the part played by socio-cultural factors in the character of an obsession's thought content. The absence of compulsions was found to be associated with good prognosis. A downward gradient was noted in the final outcome of patients without compulsions, those with controlling compulsions alone, those with both varieties of compulsions, and those displaying yielding compulsions alone, in that order. Based on this observation the paper suggests a prognosis-related hierarchical continuum of the severity of obsessional disorder.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates of early- and late-onset alcohol dependence.

The present study aimed at finding out demographic, clinical, personality, and behavioural correlates of age at onset of alcohol dependence. Fifty-one male patients of alcohol dependence (DSM-III-R, APA, 1987) attending the drug de-addiction clinic of a general teaching hospital in India comprised the sample. They were administered a composite socio-demographic and alcohol use proforma, modified Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS), Multiphasic Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and a checklist of behavioural tendencies when drinking. The early-onset alcoholics (age at onset of alcohol dependence 25 years or less) were younger. They had a larger proportion of first-degree relatives with both lifetime use and abuse/dependence of alcohol but not of other psychoactive substances. They had experienced a greater number of alcohol-related problems in the previous 1 year. They were also higher sensation seekers, higher on the Psychopathic deviate scale of MPQ, and tended to display aggression, violence, and general disinhibition when drinking. The late-onset alcoholics (age at onset of alcohol dependence more than 25 years) were anxiety-prone and guilt-ridden, and had less alcohol-related problems. The two groups were comparable on duration, frequently, and quantity of alcohol consumption. The findings are discussed in relation to some of the recently proposed typologies of alcoholism.

Adult↗