Browsing by Author "Manuelpillai, S."

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Post war psychological morbidity among internally displaced, married females in Northern Sri Lanka
(OMICS International, 2016) Attidiya, D.S.R.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Balasuriya, A.; Ediriweera, E.P.D.S.; Manuelpillai, S.; Williams, S.
BACGROUND: A three-decade long conflict between the government military and Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka ended in 2009 with the defeat of the rebels. The civilians were the most affected in the war with reports of scant respect for human rights on both sides of the warring factions. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among married females in two villages in Northern Sri Lanka that was affected significantly in the last phase of the war. METHOD: All married females in two resettled villages in the Mannar District were interviewed by trained data collectors using the translated K-10 and PSSR-17 questionnaires to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive disorder. All families in these villages were from internally displaced camps where they had been living for more than a year after having been displaced from their homes and having experienced direct war trauma for weeks. Data was collected from 135 married females between March to May 2011 with ethical approval for the study. RESULTS: Criteria for diagnosis of severe PTSD were met in 57% of all participants and all participants had at least mild symptoms of PTSD. The screening tool for depression showed 63% to have significant depressive symptoms. Both depressive and severe PTSD features were present in 24%. Nearly 73% of participants were having either depression or severe PTSD. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric morbidity was high in the post-conflict period, in a highly vulnerable population of married females.
A study on post war stress among elderly Internally displaced persons
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2011) Attidiva, D.S.R.; Balasuriya, B.M.A.C.; Dissanayaka, D.R.W.A.B.; Manuelpillai, S.; Williams, S.S.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Three decades of conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka culminated in 2009 with many people from the Wanni region being displaced and having suffered mental agony as well as physical injury. The elderly are particularly vulnerable in war situations and can suffer psychological trauma. The objective of our study was to determine the psychological effects of war among these elderly persons. METHODS: A cross sectional pilot study was conducted among elderly internally displaced persons (IDPs) (>60years) residing in elderly homes in Pattim and Thirukeswaran and Salampan and Anthoniapuram villages. Participants were initially assessed with MMSE to determine the capacity to give consent and participate in the study. Those with a MMSE score less than 20 were excluded from the study. Trained counsellors from the Mental Health Unit - Mannar, administered the Tamil validated PSSR-17 and K-10 to assess psychological impairment. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. RESULTS: A total of 57 patients were assessed (Females-24, Males-33. elderly homes-21, resettled villages-36). Nearly half (48%) of the sample screened positive for PTSD and 25% screened positive for depression. There was no significant difference detected in females and males in prevalence in PTSD or depression. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly IDPs appear to have PTSD symptoms and higher prevalence of depression when compared to the normal population. Post - war health services will have to address these psychological issues.