Kerala

Preparing for the Civil Services Examination is long, costly, and uncertain, yet little research has listened to aspirants in India's Tier 2 cities. This descriptive survey asked 523 aspirants enrolled in coaching in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, about their stress, coping, attitudes to professional mental-health support, and the support their institutions offer. More than half (55.8%) called the past month very or extremely stressful, and financial strain, family expectations, and fear of judgement were prominent. Aspirants coped through peers, breaks, and planning, yet 84.3% felt they had not found a strategy that worked. Most (90.6%) thought professional help reasonable, but only 23.9% had used it, mainly held back by fear of peer judgement, cost, and confidentiality worries. Most (84.1%) rated stress-related support from their institutions as inadequate or absent. The findings are descriptive, not causal, and suggest support should change the conditions of preparation as well as strengthen individual coping.

Background: Psychiatric disorders differ in their typical age of onset, but evidence describing onset patterns in small clinical samples from Kerala, India, is limited. This pilot study examined the association between diagnostic group and age of symptom onset and described the interval between symptom onset and first diagnosis. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using 50 consecutively sampled patient records from psychiatric outpatient and inpatient services at VPSV Ayurveda College, Kottakkal, Kerala. Diagnoses were based on DSM-5 criteria. Data included age at symptom onset, age at first diagnosis, sex, source of onset information, family psychiatric history, comorbidity, and medical or neurological conditions. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used; inferential analyses were considered exploratory. Results: Participants included 30 males and 20 females; mean current age was 35.14 ± 15.36 years. Mean age at symptom onset was 26.02 ± 14.83 years (median 25.5; range 1-72), and 28% reported onset before age 18. Age of onset differed across ten diagnostic groups (Kruskal-Wallis H = 28.58, df = 9, p < 0.001). Median onset was earliest in neurodevelopmental disorders (3.5 years) and latest in neurocognitive disorders (66 years). Median onset-to-diagnosis interval was one year (interquartile range 0-4); 14% waited six years or longer. Earlier onset correlated with a longer interval to diagnosis (Spearman ? = -0.350, p = 0.013). No significant sex difference in onset age was observed. Conclusion: The findings suggest distinct onset patterns across diagnostic groups in this clinical sample and indicate that some patients experience prolonged diagnostic delays. Larger, multicentre studies are required to confirm these exploratory results.

Introduction Although police personnel are exposed to substantial occupational stress and Kerala has one of the highest suicide rates in India, evidence on suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior among police personnel in the state remains limited. This study estimated the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior and identified their associated factors among police personnel in Kerala, India. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 police personnel (mean age 37.94 years; 81% men), from Civil Police Officers (CPOs) to Inspectors, recruited from 15 police stations in Ernakulam and Malappuram districts of Kerala using a multistage cluster sampling approach. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior during the past 12 months were assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), with the reference period adapted to the past 12 months. Survey-weighted generalised linear models with a Poisson distribution and log link were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. Results The survey-weighted prevalence of suicidal ideation was 9.39% ( n = 36; 95% CI: 6.18–14.01%), while 4.11% ( n = 14; 95% CI: 1.68–9.70%) reported suicidal behavior during the past 12 months. Actual suicide attempts were reported by 1.47% ( n = 6; 95% CI: 0.66–3.25%). Among participants with suicidal ideation, 13.56% ( n = 6) reported active suicidal ideation with a specific plan and intent. A higher prevalence of suicidal ideation was observed among participants aged >36 years (aPR: 2.90; 95% CI: 1.31–6.38), CPOs (aPR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.59–3.37), those working >12 h per day (aPR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.05–2.65), those with a previous psychiatric illness (aPR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.19–2.35), and those reporting workplace violence or harassment (aPR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.11–9.04). A higher prevalence of suicidal behavior was observed among participants with >15 years of service (aPR: 13.82; 95% CI: 5.00–38.19), CPOs (aPR: 12.32; 95% CI: 6.12–24.80), those with a previous psychiatric illness (aPR: 5.94; 95% CI: 2.58–13.66), and those reporting workplace violence or harassment (aPR: 13.81; 95% CI: 2.71–70.34). Conclusion Nearly one in ten police personnel reported suicidal ideation and approximately one in twenty-five reported suicidal behavior during the past 12 months. The findings highlight the need for workplace mental health strategies addressing occupational stressors and improving access to confidential mental health support among police personnel.

مقدمه: اگرچه کارکنان پلیس در معرض استرس شغلی قابل توجهی قرار دارند و ایالت کرالا یکی از بالاترین نرخ‌های خودکشی در هند را داراست، اما شواهد مربوط به افکار خودکشی و رفتار خودکشی در میان کارکنان پلیس این ایالت همچنان محدود است. این مطالعه شیوع افکار خودکشی و رفتار خودکشی را برآورد کرده و عوامل مرتبط با آن‌ها را در میان کارکنان پلیس در کرالا، هند شناسایی نمود. روش‌ها: یک مطالعه مقطعی در میان ۴۰۰ نفر از کارکنان پلیس (میانگین سنی ۳۷٫۹۴ سال؛ ۸۱٪ مرد) از افسران پلیس مدنی (CPOs) تا بازرس‌ها، که از ۱۵ ایستگاه پلیس در شهرستان‌های ارناکولام و مالاپورام کرالا با استفاده از روش نمونه‌گیری خوشه‌ای چندمرحله‌ای انتخاب شدند، انجام شد. داده‌ها با استفاده از پرسشنامه ساختارمند خودگزارشی جمع‌آوری گردید. افکار خودکشی و رفتار خودکشی در ۱۲ ماه گذشته با استفاده از مقیاس Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) و با تطبیق دوره مرجع به ۱۲ ماه گذشته ارزیابی شد. برای برآورد نسبت‌های شیوع تعدیل‌شده (aPRs) و فواصل اطمینان ۹۵٪ (CIs) برای عوامل مرتبط با افکار خودکشی و رفتار خودکشی، از مدل‌های خطی تعمیم‌یافته با توزیع پواسون و لینک لگاریتمی با وزن‌دهی پیمایشی استفاده شد. نتایج: شیوع وزنی افکار خودکشی ۹٫۳۹٪ (n = 36؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۶٫۱۸–۱۴٫۰۱٪) و رفتار خودکشی ۴٫۱۱٪ (n = 14؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۶۸–۹٫۷۰٪) در ۱۲ ماه گذشته گزارش شد. اقدام به خودکشی واقعی توسط ۱٫۴۷٪ (n = 6؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۰٫۶۶–۳٫۲۵٪) گزارش گردید. در میان شرکت‌کنندگانی که افکار خودکشی داشتند، ۱۳٫۵۶٪ (n = 6) افکار فعال خودکشی با برنامه و قصد مشخص را گزارش کردند. شیوع بالاتر افکار خودکشی در میان شرکت‌کنندگان بالای ۳۶ سال (aPR: 2.90؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۳۱–۶٫۳۸)، CPOs (aPR: 2.31؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۵۹–۳٫۳۷)، افرادی که بیش از ۱۲ ساعت در روز کار می‌کنند (aPR: 1.67؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۰۵–۲٫۶۵)، افراد با سابقه بیماری روانپزشکی (aPR: 1.67؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۱۹–۲٫۳۵) و افرادی که خشونت یا آزار در محیط کار را گزارش کردند (aPR: 3.16؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۱٫۱۱–۹٫۰۴) مشاهده شد. شیوع بالاتر رفتار خودکشی در میان شرکت‌کنندگانی با بیش از ۱۵ سال سابقه خدمت (aPR: 13.82؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۵٫۰۰–۳۸٫۱۹)، CPOs (aPR: 12.32؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۶٫۱۲–۲۴٫۸۰)، افراد با سابقه بیماری روانپزشکی (aPR: 5.94؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۲٫۵۸–۱۳٫۶۶) و افرادی که خشونت یا آزار در محیط کار را گزارش کردند (aPR: 13.81؛ ۹۵٪ CI: ۲٫۷۱–۷۰٫۳۴) مشاهده شد. نتیجه‌گیری: تقریباً یک نفر از هر ده نفر از کارکنان پلیس افکار خودکشی و حدود یک نفر از هر بیست‌وپنج نفر رفتار خودکشی را در ۱۲ ماه گذشته گزارش کردند. یافته‌ها بر ضرورت راهبردهای سلامت روان در محیط کار که به عوامل استرس‌زای شغلی پرداخته و دسترسی به حمایت محرمانه سلامت روان را در میان کارکنان پلیس بهبود می‌بخشد، تأکید می‌کند.