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Background: The power of the modern mass media is not limited to its ability to communicate information and entertain but derives primarily from its ability to define situations, thereby enabling it to construct social reality. Stigma is related to negative stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes that in turn lead to discriminatory practices. Aims: The study sought to know the perceptions of and attitudes of mass communication students towards mental illness and the mentally ill. Settings and Design: The study population comprised of final year Diploma students of Mass Communication of a foremost tertiary institution in Nigeria. Methods and Material: The World Psychiatric Association questionnaire measuring attitudes towards Schizophrenia was modified and administered to the students. Results: Study also showed only one-fifth of all respondents had contact with either an advert or a promotion about mental illness. About three-quarter (74.1%) of those who had come in contact with information on mental illness had done so through audiovisuals including television and radio. More than half of the students ranked environmental factors foremost among causes of mental illness. Majority of the students (85.9%) would definitely not marry someone with mental illness. Conclusions: The enormous potential and influence the media has on mental health issues would require that mental health professionals provide great input into the enlightenment program for these young and mental health-naïve potential image makers.

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Background and Objectives: The evidence for gself.medication hypothesish (SMH) in patients with dual diagnosis psychosis has been conflicting, though largely not supported, recently. But, still can SMH be a beneficial one in some patients with dual diagnosis remains a question. Methods: The study was conducted at Drug De.addiction and Treatment Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, a Tertiary Care Hospital in India. This cross.sectional comparative study had psychotic patients with substance use disorder as cases and those without substance use disorder as controls. Demographic details, clinical information, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores were ascertained for cases and controls. Cases were additionally administered modified Stated Reasons Scale and modified Perceived Effects Scale. Results: Case and controls were comparable on demographic details and duration of psychotic illness, but cases had significantly lower scores on BPRS. The reasons reported for substance abuse in cases were more often nonhedonistic than hedonistic. Perceived effects of major substances of abuse (alcohol, cannabis, and opioids) were different. Alcohol use was associated with perceived decrease in loneliness and cannabis was associated with perceived increase in suspiciousness and delusions. Considerable match was found between reasons for taking the substances and the effects perceived. Interpretation and Conclusions: Incorporating reasons for taking substance and their perceived effects in the treatment regimen would certainly help a subset of such difficult.to.treat patients. India being a low.resource country with a scarcity of experts and specialized dual diagnosis clinics, these findings may have an important implication in the clinical practice.

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Background and Objectives: Negative perception and distancing attitudes toward individuals with mental illness and victims of sexual violence are prevalent in many societies and cultures, Attitudes toward these two groups of individuals in sub-Saharan Africa remains negative in the larger society. However, not much survey has been done among college students who represent an educated youthful generation that can usually be targets for positive reorientation programs. The aim of the study was to compare social distancing attitudes using hypothesized social situations involving individuals with mental illness and victims of sexual violence. Methods: A cross-sectional random survey was carried out in two federally-funded institutions in Lagos Mainland, Nigeria. Results: One hundred and seventy-two students responded. Negative social distancing attitudes were expressed toward both groups by college students. Negative perception and distancing are high among college students toward both groups with higher negativity toward individuals with mental illness (10.10±0.7) than with sexual violence (9.16±1.25). Conclusion: There is a need to focus on enlightenment programs on mental illness and sexual violence among college students in higher institutions.

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Background: There is a large body of empirical evidence that religious coping can alter individualfs psychological, social, physical, and spiritual adjustment of people to stress or adversity. Depression is a very important public health issue, and there is a need to find effective augmentation treatment modality along with antidepressant therapy. Most of the literature related to depression, religious coping come from the western world, and there is a paucity of such studies from the eastern part, especially Asian countries. Aim: To study the association of religious coping with severity and treatment outcome in major depressive disorder. Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study. Subjects were recruited by random sampling. Materials and Methods: Sixty-six treatment naive patients with first episode depression or recurrent depressive disorders were recruited. Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM.D) and religious coping scale administered on baseline visit and after 6 weeks of treatment. Statistical Analysis: Co-relational analysis is done between HAM.D score and religious coping scale. Results: Out of 66, 60 subjects were analyzed. Mean age of 35 years and M:F ratio is 43:17. Co-relational analysis of baseline HAM.D score with religious coping reveals that more positive and less negative religious coping is related to the lesser severity of depressive symptoms. After 6 weeks of treatment, more positive religious coping was observed in a group who responded to treatment than nonresponder to treatment. No significant difference of demographic variable found between responder and nonresponder group found. Conclusion: More positive religious coping was associated with less severe depressive symptoms and better treatment outcome in major depressive disorder.

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