Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Malay version of the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND-M) based on a group of male staffs in the hospital. This study will also determine whether an abbreviated version of the FTND-M can be used as a screening tool for nicotine dependence. Method: 107 male staffs participated in the study. They were given the FTND-M and Malay version of Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.)-L component. Their carbon monoxide level measured in their breath by using exhaled air. One week later, these participants were again given FTND-M. Results: The discriminatory ability of FTND-M was good with AUC 0.74 (P2 with the sensitivity of 70.1%, specificity of 70%, PPV of 79.7% and NPV of 58.3%. The FTND-M had moderate internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.67. The testretest reliability after 1 week was fair (Spearman’s rho=0.5, p)
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the early readmission rate among the psychiatric patients discharged from a teaching hospital in Malaysia. The associated factors were also examined. Methods: This is a prospective and observational study. The socio-demographic and clinical data of 202 patients from the psychiatric ward were collected on discharge along with the administration of instruments including Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Assessment of compliance to medication and substance use was reliant on self-report data. Medication compliance was categorized as “poor” vs “good”, whereas poor compliance was the complete discontinuation of medication for at least two weeks. The patients were followed up to determine whether they were readmitted within 6 months. Results: At the end of 6 months follow-up, 32.2% of the subjects were readmitted. Univariate regression analysis indicated that patients with psychotic disorder, past episodes, previous admission, poor compliance, on conventional or depot injectable antipsychotic and higher BPRS scores on discharge were significantly associated with early readmission (p
Steroid is commonly used for various connective tissue diseases and immunological related disorders. Psychiatric side effects are common in patient with systematic treatment of steroid. The reported prevalence ranges from 6% to 28%. Antidepressant-induced mania occurs when the mood of a patient switches to manic or hypomanic from depression after the use of antidepressant. We reported a case of a 55 year old lady, who presented with agitation and grandiosity after the treatment with antidepressant. She was initially diagnosed as having Bell’s palsy with unilateral facial muscle weakness. Oral prednisolone was prescribed for seven days where she became depressed, having auditory hallucination and delusion of guilt. She was then started on antidepressant where she became irritable, agitated and developed grandiose delusion. The antidepressant was withheld and she was started on atypical antipsychotic. Her condition improved and discharged well after three days of stay in the ward.