Childhood cataract is a common cause of visual impairment. Familial types are uncommon among Filipinos. Furthermore, it is not common to have one that follows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance but with associated syndromic presentation like Roberts syndrome which is an autosomal recessive disorder. This is a case of a 9-year-old Filipino boy with cataract in the left eye associated with low-set ears, facial asymmetry, underdeveloped nasal ala, cleft lip and palate, macroglossia, micrognathia, short right shin, and absent feet. Patient was clinically diagnosed with Roberts syndrome. We present a clinically diagnosed Roberts syndrome (RS), the first reported RS in a Filipino in local and international literature to our knowledge with an autosomal dominant childhood cataract. Genetic testing can assist in the confirmation of this case.

INTRODUCTION: Stigmatizing attitudes are barriers to treatment of mental health disorders. The burden of stigma has not been established locally. This study aimed to assess the stigma in the community by determining the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of barangay residents towards mental health and persons with mental health illness. METHODS: A total of 422 participants were included using convenience sampling. Participants were given self-administered questionnaires that consisted of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Community Attitudes Towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI), and Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS) tools. The mean scores and percentages were computed and compared across the sociodemographic data of the respondents. RESULTS: Knowledge levels were relatively high with a mean score of 26.63. Depression, stress, bipolar disorder and drug addiction were recognized as mental illnesses by the majority of the participants. Scores in the stigmatizing ideologies authoritarianism (3.07) and social restrictiveness (2.58) were low, while the positive ideologies benevolence (3.76) and community health ideology (3.85) had higher scores. Participants were reluctant to work with mentally-ill people (3.18) but were willing to be friends with them (3.87). CONCLUSION This study concludes that the respondents were generally knowledgeable about mental health illness. There was a general acceptance and less stigmatizing attitude, and a willingness to interact with people with mental illness.
psychiatry ; Mental health ; Social Stigma

INTRODUCTION: Gadget use with its diverse range of functions from communication to navigation and
entertainment, has brought increasing concerns about its effects on psychological health. Despite
growing evidence on its effect among children, its effect on the adolescent age group, particularly on
the socio-emotional dimension remains uncertain.

METHOD: An analytical cross-sectional study was done to identify a possible association between duration
of gadget use and socio-emotional difficulties of an adolescent. A cluster sample of junior high school
students aged 13-17 years old from four selected private schools were invited to answer the Strengths
and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to measure socio-emotional difficulties and provide information on
the type and duration of gadget use. Scores derived from the SDQ were classified as normal, borderline
and abnormal based on the questionnaire's scoring guide. Association between duration of gadget use
and strengths and difficulties was tested using chi-square, controlling for sex and age groups.

RESULTS: Majority of the 315 respondents had normal scores on the strengths and difficulties sub-scales.
Regardless of the duration of gadget use, majority of the respondents had normal prosocial behavior
and likewise scored normal on all dimensions of the Difficulties subscale. There was no significant
association between duration of gadget use and Strength (p = 0.47) and Difficulties scores (p = 0.35).
Stratifying by sex and age groups likewise resulted in insignificant associations (p > 0.05). Those with
prolonged gadget use were 1.68 times more likely to have abnormal scores on the Difficulties subscale
compared with those with normal gadget use but the association was not significant (95% CI 0.82, 3.34).

CONCLUSION: There was no significant association between duration of gadget use and socio-emotional
difficulties of adolescents in selected private schools, controlling for sex and age groups.