Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression among patients who received antiretroviral treatment; describe the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with Major Depressive Disorder; as well as compare the quality of life among those with and without the co morbid psychiatric illness. Methodology: A descriptive study was performed at a local hygiene clinic. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered, using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) for screening depression and confirmed by Mental Status Exam (MSE). Quality of life assessment was done through WHOQOL-HIV BREF questionnaire. Results: Of the 130 respondents, 31 (23.85%) subjects were assessed to have depression. Among the different sociodemographic and clinical factors, younger age (p value = .0174) was associated with depression. Though the quality of life of a Person Living with HIV (PLHIV) fell in the acceptable category, those who had depression had poorer quality of life in all subdomains especially in the psychological and social domains and these were all highly statistically significant (p value <.0001). Conclusion The study revealed that Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) was prevalent in almost one fourth (23.85%) of HIV patients who were mostly of a younger age i.e. less than 45 years old; with 90.32 % of the 31 noted to have MDD were less than 35 years old. Patients with concomitant depression had a poorer quality of life not only psychologically but in all subdomains compared to those who were not depressed.
Depression ; HIV ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVES:The aim of this study was to determine the readmission rates of Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorders (ATPD) who were admitted for the first time in the National Center of Mental Health from January to December 2012.
METHODOLOGY: This study used the retrospective cohort method. Patients included in the study were admitted for the first time with a diagnosis of Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorders (ATPD) during the period of January to December 2012. The source of data involved the chart review during the first admission and the subsequent admission. Patients who were readmitted beyond one year from time of admission were excluded.
RESULTS:Results showed that 25 out of 204 (12.26%) patients diagnosed with an ATPD were readmitted within one year. The most common diagnosis of ATPD upon admission were: Acute Schizophrenia-Like Psychotic Disorder (n=95), Other Schizophrenia (n=90) and Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder (n=19). ATPD's with the highest 1 year readmission rates were Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder (3/19),Other Schizophrenia (13/90) and Acute Schizophrenia-Like Psychotic Disorder(9/95).Those that were readmitted had a different discharge diagnosis in their second admission.The three most common diagnosis upon readmission were Undifferentiated Schizophrenia (36%), Bipolar Affective Disorder, current episode manic, with psychotic symptoms (24%) and Other Schizophrenia (12%). Acute Schizophrenia-Like Psychotic Disorder were mostly readmitted as Bipolar Affective Disorder in 44% of patients; Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder (APPD) were readmitted as another ATPD (66.6%); and Other Schizophrenia was diagnosed as Undifferentiated Schizophrenia (54%).
CONCLUSION:Only a small percentage of patients with ATPD were readmitted one year from admission and those who were readmitted revealed that they may have actually been suffering from or developed another more chronic psychotic disorder.

Human ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Schizophrenia ; Bipolar Disorder ; Psychotic Disorders

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the occupational stress profile of Nursing staff in 2 secondary hospitals in the Province of Romblon.
METHODOLOGY: A descriptive study of 52 respondents composed of nurses and nursing attendants from secondary hospitals in Romblon were given self-administered OSA questionnaires that measured several facets of occupational stress, i.e. empowerment, exposure management, relaxation, home and work support, job complexity, negative outcome and organizational irrationality. This would determine specific areas of work that would cause stress.
RESULTS: Majority of the respondents were female, above forty years old, married and whose husbands occupation was not related to health service. They had less than 4 children but had more than 50 patients. Most of them were from the morning shift. On the positive subscales of OSA, data revealed that majority of the respondents fell within the moderate levels with regards: empowerment (92.3%), exposure management (86.5%) and relaxation potential (76.2%). Majority perceived high levels of work (94.2%) and home support (84.6%) respectively. The profile of these respondents was that they were married with their spouse working outside the health sector and had a total of 5-10 years of hospital service. As to the negative subscale, 61.5% of the respondents measured low on job complexity and majority had moderate level of occupational stress for organizational irrationality (57.7%) and negative outcome (63.5%). The profile of these respondents was they were above 40 years old, with more than 10 years of hospital service, and would handle 10-20 patients.
CONCLUSION: The nurses and nursing attendants in the Province of Romblon had an optimum level of occupational stress necessary to have control over their work and deal with changes in hospital policies, rules or structure. They ahd stable/social family and working relationships. Occupational-related health and psychological stress were experienced but still allowed them to function- socially and occupationally. They also managed to have time for enough relaxation. Most of them perceived their jobs as less complicated and some perceived the hospital structure as simple, organized and less challenging.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Marriage ; Nurses ; Nursing Staff ; Occupational Health ; Occupations ; Spouses ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys And Questionnaires