Iranian Journal of Psychiatry
Volume:11 Issue: 3, Summer 2016

This study evaluated the theory of mind (ToM) in adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder ýý(BD) during their euthymic period compared to a typically developing (TD) group.ý
The BD group consisted of thirty 11-18 year old inpatients in euthymic phase. The TD ýgroup included 30 age, gender, and IQ matched volunteer students. To assess the diagnosis and ýcomorbid disorders, we performed the semi-structured interview of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders ýand Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) for the BD adolescents. To ýevaluate the severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mania, Conner's ýParent Rating Scale-Revised version (CPRS-R), and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were ýused, respectively. Ravens Progressive Matrices was conducted to evaluate intellectual ability in ýthe both groups. Happe Strange Stories test was performed to assess ToM in the participants. Data were ýanalyzed using the independent t-test, analysis of covariance, and Pearson Correlation analysis.ý
The two groups did not show any differences in comprehending the stories; however, the BD ýgroup’s mentalizing scores were significantly weaker than the TD group (p The ToM impairments in adolescents with BD may be explained as a trait marker which may lead ýto continuation of social problems even during remissionþ.þ

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the general ýpopulation. Several studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor in generalized ýanxiety severity. However, some other studies suggest that negative repetitive thinking and ýexperiential avoidance as response factors can explain this relationship. Therefore, this study ýaimed to investigate the mediating role of experiential avoidance and negative repetitive thinking ýin the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity.ý
This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. A sample of 475 university students was ýselected through stratified sampling method. The participants completed Anxiety Sensitivity ýInventory-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, and ýGeneralized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation, multiple ýregression analysis and path analysis.ý
The results revealed a positive relationship between anxiety sensitivity, particularly cognitive ýanxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, repetitive thinking and generalized anxiety severity. In ýaddition, findings showed that repetitive thinking, but not experiential avoidance, fully mediated ýthe relationship between cognitive anxiety sensitivity and generalized anxiety severity. α Level ýwas p Consistent with the trans-diagnostic hypothesis, anxiety sensitivity predicts generalized anxietyþ þseverity, but its effect is due to the generating repetitive negative thought.ý

Although the etiology of schizophrenia is unknown, it has a significant genetic component. ýA number of studies have indicated that neuregulin-1 (NRG1) gene may play a role in the ýpathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this study, we examined whether the rs2439272 of NRG1 ýis associated with schizophrenia and its negative symptoms in an Iranian population.ý
Rs2439272 was genotyped in 469 participants including 276 unrelated patients with schizophrenia and 193 healthy controls. The association of genetic risk with PANSS, and negative ýsymptoms was examined in the total, male and female samples. COCAPHASE and ýCLUMP22 programs were used to compare the allele and genotype frequencies, and ýgeneral linear regression was used to analyze the quantitative dependent variables by the ýselected variant.ý
In this study, it was revealed that the G allele of rs2439272 might be an allele with the ýincreased risk of developing schizophrenia, especially in the male participants. In addition, ýsignificant differences were found between the G allele and GG genotype frequencies and ýPANSS, and negative symptoms in the total and male participants.ý
Our results supported the association between rs2439272 in NRG1 gene and risk of ýschizophrenia and its negative symptoms in an Iranian population.

This study aimed to provide a normative study documenting how 114 five-seven year-old non-ýpatient Iranian children respond to the Rorschach test. We compared this especial sample to ýinternational normative reference values for the Comprehensive System (CS).ý
One hundred fourteen 5- 7- year-old non-patient Iranian children were recruited from public ýschools. Using five child and adolescent samples from five countries, we compared Iranian ýNormative Reference Data- based on reference means and standard deviations for each sample.ý
Findings revealed that how the scores in each sample were distributed and how the samples were ýcompared across variables in eight Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS) clusters. We reported ýall descriptive statistics such as reference mean and standard deviation for all variables.ý
Iranian clinicians could rely on country specific or “local norms” when assessing children. We ýdiscourage Iranian clinicians to use many CS scores to make nomothetic, score-based inferences ýabout psychopathology in children and adolescents.ý

Mindfulness skills are assumed to be related with emotions. Deficits in emotion ýregulation could lead to development and persistence of mood disorders. Dysthymia and double ýdepression are two chronic types of depression. This chronicity can be attributed to the one’s ýinability to regulate his/ her mood. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of mindfulness-ýbased cognitive therapy (MBCT), which is one of the proposed methods for emotion regulation, ýon depression and the ability of emotion regulation of patients with dysthymia.ý
This clinical trial was conducted on 50 dysthymic and double ýdepressed patients. They were selected through convenience sampling and assigned into ýintervention and control groups. The control group received only medication, while the MBCT ýgroup participated in an eight- session program once a week with each session lasting for two to ýtwo and half hours in addition to receiving medication. All the participants filled out Beck ýDepression Inventory II and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale before and after the ýprogram. Data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software (Version 16) and univariate ýcovariance statistical method.ý
While there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with ýrespect to the demographic characteristics, we observed a statistically significant improvement in ýthe defined variables in post-test of the MBCT group compared to the case group.ý
The results of this study revealed that combining MBCT and pharmacotherapy ýcould cause significant improvement in depression symptoms and increase the patient’s ability to ýregulate emotion compared to pharmacotherapy aloneý.

The aim of this study was to identify prognosis factors associated with recurrence in patients ýwith bipolar disorder.ýý
This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Hamadan Province, the west of Iran. All ýpatients (n = 400) with bipolar disorder who were hospitalized for the second time or more ýduring April 2008 to September 2014 were included in this study. Ordinal logistic regression ýanalysis was employed to determine the effective factors in each recurrence, and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained.ý
The mean (SD) age of the participants at the entrance to the study was 34.62 (11.68) years. ýThere was an association between recurrence and type of bipolar disorder (P = 0.033). The ýOR of recurrence was 0.28 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.90) for bipolar disorder II; 0.35 (95% CI: 0.13, ýý0.92) for the patientsýþ þwith college education; 0.39 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.60) for employed ýpatients; 0.55 (95% CI: 0.35, 0.87) for patients who received both drugs and ýelectroconvulsive therapy, and 1.89 (95% CI: 1.23, 2.92) for patients who stopped using ýdrugs. In addition, a non-significant association was found between recurrence and age, sex, ýmarital status, place of residence, season, mood classification and family history of mood ýdisorder.ý
Type of bipolar disorder and cessation of medication were the leading causes of an increase in ýthe relapse of the disease. Furthermore, patients who received both drugs and ýelectroconvulsive therapy had a fewer risk of recurrence.ý

Suicide attempt may follow a process right from the inception of the first information about ýsuicide until the act itself. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between ýperception of suicide prevention with the process of suicide attempt and demographic ývariables following a suicidal attempt.ý
In this hospital based cross-sectional study, 168 consecutive admitted participants with a ýsuicide attempt were screened, and 109 who met the study criteria were recruited to ýparticipate in this study before discharge. They were assessed using the socio-demographic ýand clinical proforma designed for this study as well as by the Pierce Suicide Intent Scale. To ýassess the process of suicide attempt and perception of suicide prevention, a 17- item ýquestionnaire was developed and used after rigorous literature search. The Cronbach’s ýalpha coefficient value of this questionnaire found to be 0.84 in the reliability analysis.ý
Media was the first source of information, and the majority had short duration of ýpreoccupation and interval between making the decision and the actual attempt and the ýcontrol of emotion during the attempt. A significant positive correlation was observed ýbetween the source of the first information and age (p Based on the findings, it can be concluded that perception of suicide prevention may vary ýwith the process of suicide attempts and demographic characteristics.ý

The aim of this study was to investigate the current factors affecting the choice of ýpsychiatry as a specialty and to detect the main factors in their choice.ý
This descriptive study included 75 first year psychiatry residents in the academic year of ýý2014/2015. A Likert-type anonymous questionnaire consisting of academic and ýdemographic data with 43 questions, which evaluated the reason for choosing ýpsychiatry as a specialty, was given to the residents.ý
The participants had a positive opinion about 28 items of the questionnaire, meaning that ýthese items had a positive effect in choosing psychiatry as a specialty (questions with P ývalue less than 0.05 and a positive mean). More than 80% of the residents had a positive ýopinion about six items of the questionnaire (amount of intellectual challenge, variety of ýknowledge fields relevant to psychiatry, emphasis on the patient as a whole person, the ýimportance of treating mental illnesses in the future, work pressure and stress of the ýfield during residency and coordinating with the person's life style). The participants ýhad a negative opinion about two items of the questionnaire (questions with a P value ýless than 0.05 and a negative mean). They included experiencing mental illness ýpersonally through relatives or close friends as well as the income in psychiatry. ýMoreover, 36% of the residents with a more definite opinion mentioned that they chose ýpsychiatry as a specialty because of the limitations in residency exam.ý
Assistants had a positive opinion about most of the questions and this positive attitude ýseemed to be an important factor in their specialty choice. However, attending to the ýpreventing factors may increase the selection of psychiatry as a specialty.ý

Because of functional impairment caused by generalized anxiety disorder and due to cognitive side ýeffects of many anti-anxiety agents, in this study we aimed to evaluate the influence of Passion ýflower standardized extract on reaction time in patients with generalized anxiety disorder.ý
Thirty patients aged 18 to 50 years of age, who were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and ýfulfilled the study criteria, entered this double-blind placebo-controlled study. Reaction time was ýmeasured at baseline and after one month of treatment using computerized software. Correct ýresponses, omission and substitution errors and the mean time of correct responses (reaction time) in ýboth visual and auditory tests were collected. The analysis was performed between the two groups ýand within each group utilizing SPSS PASW- statics, Version 18. P-value less than 0.05 was ýconsidered statistically significant.ý
All the participants were initiated on Sertraline 50 mg/day, and the dosage was increased to 100 ýmg / day after two weeks. Fourteen patients received Pasipy (Passion Flower) 15 drops three times ýdaily and 16 received placebo concurrently. Inter-group comparison proved no significant difference ýin any of the test items between assortments while a significant decline was observed in auditory ýomission errors in passion flower group after on month of treatment using intra-group analysis.ýý
This study noted that passion flower might be suitable as an add-on in the treatment of generalized ýanxiety disorder with low side effects. Further studies with longer duration are recommended to ýconfirm the results of this study.ý

One of the most important goals of marriage is the will to attain marital satisfaction. Marital ýsatisfaction is of prime importance and has the highest effect on the stability and failure of the ýmarriage. This study aimed to investigate marital satisfaction in the women who referred to ýGorgan Health centers.ý
This was a descriptive-analytical study conducted in Gorgan. Two hundred seventy married ýwomen who referred to health centers were selected using multi stage sampling method. ýData were collected using a reliable and valid questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 18.ý
The mean age of the participants was 33.39 ± 9.25 years. Marital satisfaction was in semi-desirable and desirable level in 66.3% and 33.7% of the participants, respectively. A significant ýrelationship was found between marital satisfaction and educational level of the participants (P Marital satisfaction of the participants was in desirable level. We recommend offering an ýappropriate intervention to promote marital satisfaction particularly based on the mentioned ývariables.