Annals of Psychiatric Research

Psychiatric Comorbidities, Impulsivity, and Suicidal Intent: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Suicide Attempters

Rohit Yadav — 2025-10-09

Background: Suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that is influenced by various risk factors, including psychiatric comorbidities, impulsivity, and suicidal intent. This study aimed to assess these factors in patients who had attempted suicide.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study included 105 patients who had attempted suicide. Data was collected using a self-designed pro forma for socio-demographic details and clinical profiles. The Modified Kuppuswamy Scale was used to assess socioeconomic status, the Mini Neuropsychiatric Inventory (MINI) Plus to diagnose psychiatric disorders, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) to measure impulsivity, and the Beck Suicide Intent Scale (BSIS) to assess suicidal intent.
Results: The most common method of suicide attempt was poisoning (83.8%), with family conflicts being the primary precipitating factor. Psychiatric comorbidities were present in 58.1% of participants, with depressive disorder being the most prevalent (28.6%). Higher impulsivity scores were associated with lower suicide intent.
Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of addressing psychiatric comorbidities and impulsivity in suicide prevention strategies.

A Comparative Study of Sleep Quality and Its Associated Factors Across Different Years of Postgraduate Medical Training at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rajasthan

Aryan Kotia — 2025-10-09

Background: Sleep is a fundamental biological process essential for physical restoration, cognitive performance and emotional stability. Postgraduate medical students are vulnerable to sleep disruption owing to irregular duty hours, high academic workload, and emotional stress. This study aimed to evaluate and compare sleep quality and its associated factors across different postgraduate training years. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted over three months among 315 medical postgraduate students at a tertiary care hospital. Socio-demographic details were recorded, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was administered. Additionally, a self-designed checklist was used to assess the factors potentially influencing sleep quality. Results: Poor sleep quality was highly prevalent in this population. Sleep duration and latency were the most affected PSQI domains, with marked daytime dysfunction reported by the study participants. Students in the first and third years of residency demonstrated poorer sleep quality than those in the second year, suggesting a U-shaped trend in disturbance across training years. More than 80% of the participants reported working one to three night shifts per week. Work-related stress, late-night digital media use, environmental noise, and irregular duty schedules were common associated factors. Conclusion: Poor sleep quality is widespread among postgraduate medical students, with the greatest impact observed in the first and final years of training. Institutional measures, such as regulated duty hours, promotion of healthy digital habits, sleep hygiene education, and improvement of living conditions, are warranted to enhance trainee well-being and performance

Fear of COVID-19 and Its Correlation with Anxiety in Medical Undergraduate Students

Vikas Gaur — 2025-10-09

Background: During the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, medical students are considered a psychologically vulnerable group. This study aimed to assess the level of COVID-19 fear and anxiety among undergraduate medical students. Materials and methods: Two hundred and sixty-seven undergraduate medical students were assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales. Results: The participants comprised 144 (52.88%) male and 123 (47.12%) female students, with a mean age of 19.94 ± 1.38. The mean score for the FCV-19S scale was 18.29 ± 5.81, while the mean score for the GAD-7 scale was 5.86 ± 4.80. Using a cut-off point score of 16.5 for the FCV-19S, 159 (59.55%) students showed elevated fear of COVID-19 infection. A total of 88 (32.96%) students suffered from mild anxiety, 38 (14.23%) from moderate anxiety, and 16 (5.99%) from severe anxiety. A significant association was observed between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety symptoms (correlation coefficient = 0.541, 95% CI 0.451-0.621, P <0.001). Conclusion: The fear of COVID-19 infection is very high among medical students and is significantly related to anxiety.

Early Deep Vein Thrombosis Triggered by Antipsychotic Dose Escalation and Physical Restraint in Schizophrenia

Yogita Gaggar — 2025-10-09

A 21-year-old female diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia presented with unilateral lower limb swelling and was later diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. The patient had a history of escalated antipsychotic treatment and physical restraint. This case represents the link between the development of thromboembolic events in psychiatric patients using antipsychotics and potential immobility due to physical restraint.

EDITORIAL

Manu Sharma — 2025-10-09