My father is always forgetting... has he got DEMENTIA?

Dementia is a neurocognitive condition that affects people over 60 years of age.  It is characterized by short-term memory loss, confusion, sleep reversal, and odd behaviour. 

Find a brief introduction to this complex condition in this video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/SS8upBPfsfk

Hindi: https://youtu.be/WesEr0KHM78

Kannada: https://youtu.be/QXCEdKxcnew

Find out more about dementia in an earlier article of mine that was published in Deccan Herald.  Also read about the effects of meditation on ageing.  A recommended book on end-of-life care is Being Mortal.

Resources:
Background music: Cosmology by Evocativ
Pictures: 
https://loonylabs.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/dementia.jpg?w=550&h=422
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Alois_Alzheimer_003.jpg/220px-Alois_Alzheimer_003.jpg

How can I reduce SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?!

If you are affected by the goings on in the world or in your personal life, and are contemplating taking the extreme step, then please take a few minutes to watch this video.  

Whether it is the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended lives across the globe, or the economic crunch that each one of us is facing in its wake, there are reasons galore to feel the blues.  Even if these are not the burning issues in your life, there are always others - breakups, bereavement, failure in exams, job loss, and the leading cause for completed suicide in India: being in debt.

While this video is no panacea for all the woes that you may be facing, it is an attempt to help you change your outlook and mindset so that you consider the larger issues of life, and take a step back from making an impulsive decision.

 

How common are suicidal ideas?

What are the causes for feeling suicidal?

What are the risk factors for suicide attempt?

What should you do if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal?

What are the religious and spiritual connotations of suicide?

Find out in in this video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/08i4_FGRmB8

Hindi: https://youtu.be/2w346GDm79w

Kannada: https://youtu.be/Qjg98TRvt-A

Please note that the National (Indian) Suicide Helpline number is: 9152987821 or 022-25521111 (by iCall).  

If you are in and around Bengaluru, you can also reach out to the counsellors of Arpita Foundation (NGO) through their helpline: 080-23655557 (7 am to 9 pm, all days of the week).

For information on suicide care and suicide helplines, please click external link in my earlier article. 

Resources/references:

Quotes (all translations into Hindi/Kannada by me):

• Suicide is a sin... and for many points from the 'larger/spiritual issues' section of the video (also, I recommend reading the book): The Laws of the Spirit World, Khorshed Bhavnagri 
• Man is a Soul... Attributed to Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda
• All that we are is... Attributed to Lord Buddha, Thought Power, Swami Sivananda
• Those things that hurt... Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, In The Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck
• Be in the world... Osho, Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic
• He who has a why... Attributed to Nietzsche, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
• While there is life... Brief Answers to Big Questions, Stephen Hawking
• Om... I am Saakshi... Thought Power, Swami Sivananda
• Punarapi jananam... Moha Mudgara (Bhaja Govindam), Adi Shankaracharya [with Sanskrit to English translation from: bhakthi.in and sanskritdocuments.org]

Music: Sunflower Field, Mocha Music

Pictures: 

https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/overwatch_gamepedia/thumb/8/81/Spray_McCree_Noose.png/100px-Spray_McCree_Noose.png?version=4419c49da3cea03efc5fa76c5139e1e8

http://media.pn.am/media/issue/266/075/photo/339x226_thumb_photo_266075_76f1cfd77.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Bhisma_fight_in_Swayamvara.jpg/250px-Bhisma_fight_in_Swayamvara.jpg

http://www.indianetzone.com/photos_gallery/77/2_Battle_between_Shikhandi_and_Bhisma.jpg

https://archive.org/services/img/GarudaPuranaGitaPressGorakhpur

 

Book recommendation: Laws of the Spirit World

As I have said with other book recommendations, there are times when you do not read a book for its literary merits.  Rather, you read for the content: the message it conveys and how it will affect you.  

This is one such book.

You might have wondered to yourself, what is life?  What is the purpose of our existence?  What should our life goals be?  Why do have relationship issues?  What should we avoid doing?  How are we doing in terms of achieving our goals in the phenomenal world, and in the spiritual sense?

If so, then this book is for you.

It only requires two things of you: belief and an open mind.  You won't be able to progress much if you don't believe the source of the messages contained in this book.  Secondly, if you are the ultra-rational type, who seeks a logical explanation for every occurring, then too, this is not for you.

Apart from the answers to larger issues mentioned above, here is a sample of the some of the words of wisdom that I perused in this book - spiritual mahavakyas, if you like:

• 'Yes, God exists!'
• 'Suicide is sin.'
• 'Murder is never part of God's plan.'
• 'On Earth, wise men created marriages to safeguard children...'
• 'Nothing happens before its time - so just wait and relax...'
• 'Do not be judgmental, but use your judgment.'
• 'Choose goodness for the sake of goodness itself.'
• '... all thoughts create energy, so be aware of what energy you are creating.'
• '...hope is essential to human survival.'
• 'Positivity is a choice no matter what the situation.'
• 'Fame on Earth has absolutely no value in the spirit world.'
• 'To do God's work means to use your position of strength to help others grow.'
• 'Whatever your path, learn to view it from a spiritual perspective.'
• 'Instead of feeling great, feel grateful.'

Though it is clearly mentioned in the book that 'there is no religion in the spirit world,' I could not help noting the obvious congruence of the messages with those of the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma.  

So, here are a few that indicate this:

• It is not God, but the Law of Karma that punishes us for our misdeeds.
• One can accrue both negative and positive Karma, according to the nature of our actions.
• '...reincarnation means the same spirit being born on Earth life after life.'
• 'Take action.  Do your best and leave the rest to God.'  [To me, this is a direct vindication of the overarching message of the Bhagavad Gita: do your duty and don't worry about the results.]
• 'Yoga is wonderful for the mind, body and spirit.'
• 'To know God is to know ourselves, discover who we are, and discover His goodness within us.' [Confirms the message of spiritual unity of all living beings with Brahman, as propounded by Adi Shankaracharya's Advaita philosophy]
• 'True success is spiritual success and not earthly success.' and 'Do not think of power.  Think of spiritual strength.' and 'Lead a simple, honest, kind and selfless life.'  [underpin the importance of viveka (discrimination), vairagya (non-attachment) and nishkama seva (selfless service), that are advocated for spiritual progress in Hinduism]
• 'The things that you can see are temporary; the things that are not visible are eternal.' [indicative of maya, which is the attribute of the phenomenal world that prevents us from realising Brahman, once again, from Advaita]
• 'There will come a point when Nature itself will erase negativity.'  There is also mention of 'shift of Earth's axis' and natural disasters that will wipe away negativity caused by human vice.  [comparable to pralayas (great dissolution of creation) that end each of the four yugas (time periods) mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana]

Bear in mind the spirit communications delivering these messages are from two recently deceased Parsi gentlemen to their mother.  Just like in my other book recommendation, Many Lives, Many Masters, it is reassuring for me to know that our rishis have, over the ages, given us the message of spiritual enhancement, which is only recently being vindicated by non-Hindu thinkers/writers and through scientific studies. 

Even if you are a sceptic, it wouldn't hurt to learn through the messages conveyed in this book and put them into practice, if only to become a better human being.

Highly recommended reading from an early age, so that we know what really matters in life and over what pursuits we need to invest our time and energy during our lifetime. 

Thank you, Vispi, Ratoo, Khorshedji and Rumiji.  May you reach the highest Universe and Realm.

Image source: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514KGkGN84L.jpg

Mantra for meditation: Om Namah Shivaya

 ||Om Namah Shivaya||

||ॐ नमः शिवाय|| 

||ॐ ನಮಃ ಶಿವಾಯ||

This sacred mantra of Sanatana Dharma literally means: 'I bow to Thee, O Lord Shiva'.  Since Shiva is the inherent God Principle in every living being, the mantra also has a deeper meaning of, 'I bow to the Divinity within me'.

The mantra is said to be a composite of five syllables (shown as the five petalled flower in the video), each with its own significance:

Naada (Sound)	Panchamahabhutas (Five great elements)	Ishakriya (Functional aspect of Shiva)
Na	Prithvi (Earth)	Creation
Ma	Jala (Water)	Preservation
Shi	Agni (Fire)	Destruction
Va	Vayu (Air)	Concealment
Ya	(Akasha) Ether	Revelation

https://youtu.be/GQNrvnfEUSA

According to Charaka Samhita, the great Ayurvedic text, these five great elements and their variants that are present in the Universe are also present in our bodies, and vice versa.  Whatever affects these constituents, also affects the mind and body.

Therefore, the mantra is a salutation to the Lord of all elements, Lord Shiva.  It is said to help reduce one's ahamkara (ego), one's worries, and put one in a focused and positive frame of mind.  

It is recommended that one begins her/his day by chanting this mantra with the back erect.  The number 108 is considered to be a sacred number of Hinduism.  

Also read about and listen to Shivashadakshara Stotra and Lingashtakam.

References/resources:

Background music: Lord of the Dawn, Jesse Gallagher

Information: 

https://m.timesofindia.com/astrology/mantras-chants/know-the-importance-of-chanting-om-namah-shivay/amp_articleshow/75203903.cms

https://healthyayurveda.com/panchamahabhutas-the-5-great-elements/

  

Alcohol: How much is enough?

In the puranic texts, it is known as soma rasa, sura, madira.  

Yes, we are talking about that liquid whose quantity consumed is second only to water: alcohol.

According to the strength of ethanol content, it is also known as alcopops, beer, cider, lager, wine, sherry, and spirits which are very high in strength and include whisky, rum, vodka, gin and brandy.  

Drinking alcohol is common across communities and cultures across the world.  It is just something that has fascinated mankind with its intoxicating properties that can numb the mind temporarily from the harsh realities of life.  

Studies have also shown that drinking culture is associated with high rates of alcohol dependence.  It is also associated with co-dependence with other substances such as smoking and drugs.  

There are serious consequences of too much indulgence with alcohol and the ramifications are many: social, vocational, medical and psychiatric.  

Treating alcohol dependence is an onerous task, and there are frequent relapses into old patterns of drinking habit, which makes it a frustrating problem to deal with.

So one needs to consider:

How much can one drink?

When does it become a problem?

Are there any indicators of problematic drinking?

How can one measure their alcohol intake?

Find the answers to these questions in this short video in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/bGMUKSwOPBQ

Hindi: https://youtu.be/dunOt_HJyvI

Kannada: https://youtu.be/XdA5gFXAYxc

Also, read and watch video about smoking/nicotine addiction.

Resources:

Background music [English & Hindi videos]: Paradise [Kannada video: Dreaming in 432Hz by Unicorn Heads]

Picture:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Chivas_image_for_wikipedia.jpg/1200px-Chivas_image_for_wikipedia.jpg

Units of alcohol, with gratitude to:

https://www.caldersidemedicalpractice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/alcohol-units.jpg

https://www.onesmallstep.org.uk/application/files/8315/7141/4290/how_many.gif

Mantra for meditation: Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

     ॐ गम गणपतये नमहः                               ॐ ಗಂ ಗಣಪತಯೇ ನಮಃ

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

{I bow to Lord Ganapati} 

This mantra extols Lord Ganesha who is the remover of obstacles from one's path.  It is said to be derived from Ganapati Atharvashirsha or Ganapati Upanishad. 

It is said to be a siddhi mantra that brings fulfilment, peace and ultimately emancipation to the person who chants it regularly. 

The Ganapati Atharvashirsha states that Ganesha resides at the Muladhara Chakra: 

Tvam muladharasthitosmi nityam

{Thou always reside at the Muladhara Chakra}

The Muladhara Chakra at the base of the spine is the first chakra to be awakened in yogic practice.  Its attributes are as follows:  

Muladhara Chakra

Meaning: mula = root,  adhara = foundation 

Colour: red

Root word: Lam (in yellow)

Location: base of spine

Qualities: physical health, stillness, being grounded

Yoga practice followed by pranayama is recommended before this mantra is chanted for 108 times.  

108 is the holy number of Sanatana Dharma and its significance is explained here: significance of Om & 108.

Meditate upon this sacred mantra regularly and stay blessed:

https://youtu.be/8mILpfhEo5w

Resources:

Background music: The Sleeping Prophet, Jesse Gallagher

Background pictures:

https://www.netclipart.com/isee/xJmiRJ_root-chakra-energy-chi-spiritual-muladhara-chakra/

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Muladhara.svg/1200px-Muladhara.svg.png

https://beyogi.com/your-base-power-ganesha-first-c

References:

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4552/Remove-Obstacles-with-This-Ganesh-Mantra.html

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-94/Root-Chakra-Healing-for-Beginners.html

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/om-gam-ganapataye-namaha

https://beyogi.com/your-base-power-ganesha-first-chakra/

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/om-gam-ganapataye-namaha/

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/chakra-affirmations/

https://www.yogaindailylife.org/system/en/chakras/muladhara-chakra

https://www.vyasaonline.com/ganapati-upanishad/

https://www.astrojyoti.com/ganapatiupanishad.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbU3lfsiPm8hakra/

Om - Mantra for meditation

ॐ

Sarvadvaraani samyamya mano hrudi nirudya cha

Moordhnyaadhaayaatmanah praanam aasthito yogadhaaranaam

Omityekaaksharam Brahma vyaaharanmaamanusmaran

Yah prayaati tyajandeham sa yaati paramaam gatim

[When one] closes all the gates of the body, confines the mind within the heart,

Fixes the life-energy in the head, engages in steadfast yoga

[When one] utters the monosyllable Om that is Brahma, focuses on Me [Supreme Soul],

[One] leaves the body thus, and attains the Supreme Goal

{Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8, Verse 12-13}

Om is the Primordial Sound of the Vedas, Pranava of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Brahman of the Bhagavad Gita.

Uttered at the beginning and end of shlokabhyasa (shloka practice) and yogabhyasa (yoga practice), Om is made up of three basic sounds: A-U-M, which represent the following:

	Planes	Gods	Vedas
A (aa)	Physical	Brahma	Rig
U (oo)	Mental & astral	Vishnu	Yajur
M (mm)	Deep-sleep	Shiva	Sama

Several studies have revealed the health benefits of chanting and meditating on Om: mental alertness and physical relaxation, along with cardiac rhythm synchronization (see references below).

108 is considered to be a significant number in yoga, Vedic mathematics, astrology and numerology.  For instance, the distance of sun and moon from earth is said to be 108 times their respective diameters.  There are said to be 108 Upanishads and 108 tirthsthals (places of pilgrimage).  In yoga, 108 suryanamaskars (sun salutations) are performed during Rathasaptami (sun festival).   

In this video Om has been repeated 108 times, at the rate of about four per minute.  

Meditate to the sacred sound of Om:

https://youtu.be/3fpCsxx-l1Q

If you are not keen on meditative process, you could try relaxation therapy: lie down, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and relax your muscles while listening to the sound of Om.  The duration of this video will amount to less than half-hour of your daily relaxation therapy. 

References & resources:

Significance of Om:

The Bhagavad Gita, Trans. Swami Chidbhavananda, Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaitturai, Fourth Edition, 1989

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952121/

http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Om
https://wanderlust.com/journal/108-yogas-sacred-number/
https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/the-number-108

Background music: Satya Yuga, Jesse Gallagher

Pictures of Om:

http://www.pngall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Om-PNG-Picture.png

http://www.pngall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Om-PNG-HD.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Creative-3D-Om-Shining-HD-Wallpaper-Free.jpg/1280px-Creative-3D-Om-Shining-HD-Wallpaper-Free.jpg

Prarthana shlokas

A shloka is a rhythmic verse recited as a prayer or as part of a meditative process.  A mantra is a phrase like a formula that is repeated to invoke spiritual fervour.  A stuti or stotra is a collection of shlokas recited as a eulogy of ishta devta (chosen deity). 

My daughter and I are students of Sanskrit through shlokabhyasa (shloka classes).  With the blessings of our Guruji, we humbly present to you mantras/shlokas/stotras that we have learnt. 

In this video prarthana (prayer) shlokas are presented that are recited at the beginning and end of shlokabhyasa: 

https://youtu.be/DdtYz01xjOc 

The meaning of each of the shloka presented in the video is given below:

Gurure vagatihi Gurume vabhaje

Gurunaiva sahasmi namo Gurave

Na Guror paramam shishurasmi Guroho

Mati rasti Gurau mama pahi Gurau

Guru is my refuge, I pray to Guru

I prostrate in front of my Guru, I chant Guru’s name

I am an immature child without my Guru

I beseech Guru to save me from my ignorance

Agajanana padmarkam

Gajananam aharnisham

Anekadamtam bhatkanam

Ekadantam upasmahe

Just as lotus blooms in sunlight

Goddess Parvathi’s face lit up looking at Ganesha

The giver of boons to devotees

I meditate upon the Lord with single tusk

Vakratunda mahakaya

Kotisurya samaprabha

Avighnam Kurume deva

Sarva karyeshu sarvada

O Lord of the curved trunk and great body

One with the effulgence of a crore suns

Always remove all the obstacles

From all the tasks I undertake

Saraswathi namastubhyam varade kamarupini

Vidyarambham karishyami siddhir bhavatu me sada

Salutations to Goddess Saraswathi, who bestows boons

As I commence my studies, bless me with accomplishments

Namaste sharade devi kashmira puravasini

Tvamaham prarthaye nityam vidyam-buddhimcha dehi me

I bow to you Goddess Sharada (Saraswathi) whose abode is Kashmira

I pray to you ever that you may bestow upon me knowledge and wisdom

Hayagriva Hayagriva hayagriveti yo vadet

Tasya nihsarate vani jahnu kanyapravahavat

Upon repeated chanting of the name of Hayagriva (avatar of Lord Vishnu)

One’s speech flows mellifluously as the sacred Ganga

Asadhya sadhaka swamin asadhyam tava kim vada

Ramadhuta dayasindho matkaryam sadhayaprabho

O accomplisher of impossible tasks, truly what is impossible to you?

O benevolent emissary of Lord Rama, make my task possible to accomplish

Asatoma sadgamaya

Tamasoma jyotirgamaya

Mrityorma amrutangamaya

Om shantih shantih shantihi

O Lord, take me from lies to truth

Take me from darkness to light

Take me from death to immortality

Let there be peace, peace, peace

Kalevarshatu parjanyaha

Prithavi sasyshalinim

Deshoyam kshobharahitam

Sajjana santu nirbhayaha

May there be timely monsoons

May the Earth be green and productive

May the land be free of all problems

May the good citizens and sages be fearless

Sarve janah sukhino bhavantu

Samasta sanmangalani bhavantu

Om shantih shantih shantihi

May all be happy

May everything be auspicious

May there be peace, peace, peace

As can be gleaned from the meaning of shlokas presented, Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) recognizes the importance of satya (truth), dharma (righteousness), personal development, wisdom, oneness of all humanity, and the welfare of all living beings.  

We hope that this presentation will help you in your own learning of mantras, shlokas, stotras and Sanatana Dharma.   

Resources & references:

Background music: The Inner Sound, Jesse Gallagher

Pictures:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Raja_Ravi_Varma_-_Sankaracharya.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Namaste_namaskar.jpg

https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/830/15/623/ganesh-chaturthi-lord-ganesha-vinayaka-ganapati-wallpaper-preview.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvB_UkPATp8/TovSPUjhcKI/AAAAAAAAHRs/rblaDOvAVsI/s1600/104_001.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Hayagreeva.jpg/250px-Hayagreeva.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Hanuman_showing_Rama_in_His_heart.jpg

Meanings: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaiakE3LNso

http://www.dattavani.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Ganesh-Sapthaham-Full-com.pdf

https://www.templepurohit.com/mantras-slokas-stotras/ganpati-stotra/agajanana-padmarkam-ganesha-stotram/

https://www.templepurohit.com/mantras-slokas-stotras/powerful-ganesh-mantra/

https://ommrudraksha.com/vakratundamahakaya

https://www.devshoppe.com/blogs/articles/shri-ganesha-mantra-with-meaning-shree-vakratunda-mahakaya

https://www.templepurohit.com/mantras-slokas-stotras/saraswati-mantra-knowledge-wisdom/

http://aumamen.com/prayer/saraswati-namastubhyam-lyrics-in-english-sanskrit-meaning-in-english

https://greenmesg.org/stotras/saraswati/namaste_sharade_devi.php

https://meerasubbarao.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/hayagreeva-sampada-stotra/

https://www.gurushakti.org.in/729/deities/vishnu/hayagriva-sampada-stotram

http://mantrashlokas-madhuri.blogspot.com/2011/07/hanuman-mantra_24.html

https://greenmesg.org/stotras/vedas/om_asato_ma_sadgamaya.php

https://www.amritapuri.org/3731/asatoma.aum

https://tamilandvedas.com/tag/kale-varshatu/

My son/daughter has Schizophrenia! What should I do?

What is Schizophrenia?
What is the treatment?
How long should the treatment continue?
What is the role of the family in treating Schizophrenia?
Can the patient get married?

I answer these questions in this short educative video on Schizophrenia, in three languages:

English: https://youtu.be/3US7KzMth54

Hindi: https://youtu.be/kIVGOX_6zFY

Kannada: https://youtu.be/ewpwJSq9qr4

Resources:

Music: 'Birds in Flight', Dan Lebowitz

Thumbnail picture: https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/89075/area14mp/image-20150720-12546-bslji2.jpg

Lectures in Psychiatry

Audio recording with slides of my lectures to undergraduate medical students.  Relevant to medical students/interns of any country/university posted in Psychiatry.

 1. Lecture: Introduction to Psychiatry, Classification & Etiology

https://youtu.be/i479pF4-Yek

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• What is Psychiatry?
• Role of psychiatrist
• Psychiatry not to be confused with... (difference between Psychiatry & Psychology)
• Mental health teams (components of multidisciplinary psychiatric teams)
• Branches of Psychiatry
• Definition of mental health
• Consequences of mental illness
• Classification (of psychiatric disorders)
• Systems of classification
• ICD-10 Chapter V
• DSM-5 multiaxial classification
• Differences between ICD-10 & DSM-5
• Etiology (of psychiatric disorders)
• Psychiatric assessment (steps involved)
• Etiological formulation (based on biopsychosocial model)
• Formulation: etiology of bipolar affective disorder (an example)
• Extra slide: Management: investigations + treatment (based on biopsychosocial model)

2. Lecture: Interview techniques, History taking in Psychiatry & Mental State Examination

https://youtu.be/lV308KwLjqU

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• Interview techniques 2/2 (setting the scene, assessment & questioning style)
• History 3/3 (steps of history taking with examples/significance)
• Mental state examination 2/2 (steps of MSE with examples/significance)
• Diagnosis & Formulation (biopsychosocial approach)

3. Lecture: Psychopathology

https://youtu.be/Ch7QSdhXJCc

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• Psychopathology (introduction, pioneers)
• Appearance & behaviour 1/2 (attitude, rapport, tics, tremors, chorea, athetosis, dystonia, stereotypies, mannerisms, compulsive acts)
• Appearance & behaviour 2/2 (mitmachen, mitgehen, gegenhaltan, negativism, ambitendency, catalepsy, echopraxia, stupor)
• Speech (poverty of speech, pressure of speech, perseveration, circumstantiality, tangengiality, echolalia, coprolalia, mutism, dysarthria/dysphonia/dysphasia)
• Affect & mood (labile, flattened, congruous/incongruous affect; euthymic, dysthymic, hyperthymic, cyclothymic, depressed, hypomanic, manic, anxious mood)
• Thoughts (retarded thinking, thought block, perseveration, circumstantiality, desultory thinking, flight of ideas, knight’s move thinking, vorbeireden, verbigeration, neologisms, obsessions/phobias, overvalued ideas/delusions, suicidal ideas)
• Perception (illusions, hallucinations, depersonalisation, derealisation)
• Cognition (consciousness, attention & concentration, disorientation, amnesia, apraxia, agnosia)
• Insight (partial/full/absent)

4. Lecture: Stress, Adjustment disorders & Anxiety disorders

https://youtu.be/JMMzNWsqDiI

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• Stress & adjustment disorders (acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder/PTSD: clinical features, associations)
• Anxiety (normal/abnormal)
• Yerkes-Dodson curve (relationship between arousal & performance)
• General symptoms (physical & psychological symptoms of anxiety)
• Panic disorder (clinical features, associations)
• Generalised anxiety disorder (clinical features, associations)
• Phobias (agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobias: clinical features, associations)
• OCD/Obsessive-compulsive disorder (nature & examples of obsessions & compulsions; clinical features, associations of OCD)
• Management (biopsychosocial approach)

5. Lecture: Grief & bereavement reactions, Mood disorders, Suicide & parasuicide (DSH)

https://youtu.be/2FI9SUVtKJk

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• Overview of contents
• Grief & bereavement reactions (stages of grief, clinical features & management of abnormal bereavement reaction)
• Depression: core features
• Depression: biological/somatic symptoms
• Depression: psychological/cognitive symptoms
• Depression: psychotic symptoms
• Mania: core features
• Mania: biological/somatic symptoms
• Mania: psychological/cognitive symptoms
• Mania: psychotic symptoms
• Psychopathological differences: mania & schizophrenia (table)
• Clinical distinction between hypomania & mania (flowchart)
• Mood disorder diagnostic algorithm (flowchart)
• Bipolar affective disorder (types 1 & 2, mixed affective state)
• Management (biopsychosocial approach for depression/mania/BPAD)
• Suicide & parasuicide/DSH (suicide/DSH risk assessment & management)

 6. Lecture: Schizophrenia and other psychoses

https://youtu.be/1IQNszTTlLQ

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

A) Schizophrenia:

•      History
•      Epidemiology
•      Etiology (genetic, neurochemical & neuropathological theories)
•      Clinical features
•      Classification
•      Diagnosis (first rank symptoms, ICD 10 & DSM 5)
•      Management

B) Other psychotic disorders

C) Extra slides: MCQ with answers

References/resources:

An Atlas of Schizophrenia, Stefan M., Travis M. & Murray R.M., The Parthenon Publishing Group, London, 2002

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Van_Gogh_Self_Portrait_with_Straw_Hat_1887-Detroit.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/John_Forbes_Nash%2C_Jr._by_Peter_Badge.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Emil_Kraepelin_1926.jpg/220px-Emil_Kraepelin_1926.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Eugen_bleuler.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_psychosis#/media/File:Griesinger.jpg

https://images.app.goo.gl/D1AaGLjCRtkSgvbS8

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/thumb/f/f3/Kurt_Schneider.jpg/230px-Kurt_Schneider.jpg

 7. Lecture: Psychosexual disorders & Paraphilias

https://youtu.be/RX9JVCfPZEk

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

• Normal sexual stages
• Sexual stage disorders
• Paraphilias 1/2: voyeurism, exhibitionism, frotteurism, fetishism, transvestism, masochism, sadism
• Paraphilias 2/2: pedophilia, gender dysphoria
• (With additional explanation about masturbation & homosexuality)

 8. Lecture: Disorders of Sleep

https://youtu.be/NGWGW6f0Jh0

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides: 1. Disorders of sleep (insomnia & hypersomnia) 2. Stages of sleep 3. Circadian rhythm disorders 4. Parasomnias 5. Management of sleep disorders (including sleep hygiene)

References/resources:

https://sleepdisorders.sleepfoundation.org/chapter-1-normal-sleep/stages-of-human-sleep/ 

http://facweb.furman.edu/~einstein/general/sleepdemo/sleep.htm

9. Lecture: Psychopharmacology, ECT & Psychotherapies

https://youtu.be/V9WgHE5cb4k

Includes detailed explanation of the following slides:

1. Psychopharmacology (10 slides):

• biopsychosocial management 
• pharmacokinetics & pharmacodynamics, 
• main groups of drug with examples, 
• indications, 
• treatment outcome, 
• general & specific adverse effects, 
• usage in special patient groups

2. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

3. Psychotherapies (5 slides):

• general attributes & counselling skills,
• supportive psychotherapy,
• behavioural therapy & cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT),
• psychodynamic psychotherapy & other types of therapy

References/resources:

• Fundamentals of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Anderson I.M. & Reid I.C., 2nd Edition (2004), British Association of Psychopharmacology, Taylor & Frances (UK)
• The Maudsley Prescribing Guildelines, Taylor D., Paton C. & Kerwin R., 9th Edition (2007), The South London And Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Informa Healthcare (UK)
• Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, Gelder M., Mayour R. & Cowen P., 4th Edition (2001) Oxford University Press (UK)
• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/MECTA_spECTrum_ECT.jpg/1200px-MECTA_spECTrum_ECT.jpg
• https://www.dovepress.com/cr_data/article_fulltext/s160000/160093/img/NDT-160093-F01.jpg

10. Lecture: Psychiatry Summary Slides

Comprehensive overview of major topics in Psychiatry for Medical Undergraduate Students, as per DSM-5.  

https://youtu.be/_mtrKYymVHg

Includes the following:

• Psychological theories
• Biopsychosocial model of etiology
• Assessments & classification
• Biopsychosocial model of management
• Stress & anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders & suicide
• Somatic & dissociative disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Personality disorders
• Substance use disorders
• Sleep-wake disorders
• Psychosexual disorders
• Neurodevelopmental & impulse control disorders
• Eating disorders
• Neurocognitive disorders