Iranian Journal of Psychiatry
Volume:3 Issue: 4, Autumn 2008

The lithium concentration in the plasma is assumed to give someindication as to the concentration of this ion in different organ cells especially incentral nervous system. While the practical value of intracellular lithium measurement is controversial however, erythrocytes have proved to be useful for studying lithium concentration and its transport across the membrane. There are some reports suggesting that neuroleptic drugs are able to affect the erythrocyte lithium concentration (ELCs), although these studies have yielded inconsistent results. In the present study the effect of risperidone and olanzapine as atypical antipsychotic and haloperidol as standard typical antipsychotic on lithium ratio in 46 acute manic patients was studied. ELCs were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Clinical response was evaluated by using Young mania rating scale (YMRS). No significant difference was found between LRs and dose or type of antipsychotics. Also there were no significant differences between LRs and clinical response or remission. The concurrent use of an atypical antipsychotics and lithium may not significantly alter the lithium transport in the erythrocyte and presumably in the nerve cells. A more comprehensive study is warranted to confirm the results of this study

to evaluate the brain signals in children with autism disorder in many different conditions of quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG) recordings in order to highlight abnormalities and to characterize this group. In this study, spectrogram was used as a tool for evaluating qEEG in 15 children with autism disorders (13 boys and 2 girls aged between 6 to 11 years old) and in 11 normal children (7 boys and 4 girls with the same age range). Signals of the two groups were recorded in nine conditions.The recorded signals with the relaxed eye-opened condition in alpha band, those recorded with looking at a stranger''s picture condition in beta band, and the ones obtained with children looking at inverted stranger''s picture in the same beta band show the best discrimination of 92.3%, 88,9% and 88.9% respectively using spectrogram. Among the several different EEG recordings, the relaxed eyeopened condition in alpha band had been the best condition for discriminating the two groups using spectrogram. More abnormalities were observed in the prefrontal lobe and the left brain hemisphere in children with autism disorders.

Major depressive disorder is a severe disorder that has a significant impact on the psychological and social functioning of children and adolescents. Considering current limitations in the treatment of this disorder, the present study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder. In an open trial, the efficacy of fluvoxamine (50-200 mg/d) on children and adolescents with major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder was evaluated using the "Children''s Depression Inventory", the "Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale", the "Children - Global Assessment Scale", the "Clinical Global Impression Scale", and the "Drug Side Effect Questionnaire" at the beginning and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the beginning of the treatment. The frequency of suicidal ideas was evaluated as well. Treatment with fluvoxamine caused statistically significant improvement in all of the above scales. The frequency of suicidal ideas decreased from 88.9 percent to zero after 8 weeks. No significant side effects were observed. Fluvoxamine can be used as a safe and effective drug in the treatment of major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder of children and adolescents

Mixed anxiety-depressive disorder (MADD) is a condition in which patients have both anxiety and depressive symptoms but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for either an anxiety disorder or a mood disorder.The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of imipramine and citalopram in the treatment of MADD.Fifty one outpatients aged 18 to 55 who were diagnosed with MADD were randomly assigned to receive citalopram or imipramine for 8 weeks. Patients were assessed using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) at baseline, weeks 4 and8 of the study. The mean differences in Hamilton scores from the baseline were used as the main outcome measures of response to treatment.Thirty six patients completed the study. Patients in the citalopram group (n=20) received a mean dosage of 22 mg per day during the first 4 weeks and a mean dosage of 33 mg per day during weeks 4 to 8. Subjects in the Imipramine group (n= 16) received a mean dosage of 77 mg per day during the first 4 weeks and a mean dosage of 89 mg per day during weeks 4to 8. It was noted that the both treatments were effective on depression and anxiety at the end of the fourth and eighth weeks. However, the mean differences of HDRS and HARS scores between citalopram and imipramine groups were not significantly different at the end of weeks 4 and 8.The results of this study suggest that the efficacy of regular doses of citalopram is comparable with lower range of therapeutic doses of imipramine in the treatment of MADD. A more comprehensive study is warranted to confirm the results of this study.

Many studies have shown that the level of postoperative distress and anxiety in children is associated with the amount of anxiety during the pre operative period. In this study, we compared the effect of pre-operational attending in a playroom and using play activities on the level of anxiety increment after surgery in an intervention and a control group of Iranian children.In a clinical trial, 75 children aged 5 to 12 enrolled in the intervention and the control group. The anxiety symptoms were assessed using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Revised Children''s Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Yale modified Pre operative Anxiety Scale. The mean differences of pre and post operative anxiety scores were calculated and compared using the ANCOVA statistical method.The two groups had similar demographic characteristics except for age which was higher in the control group. The baseline anxiety score was lower in the intervention compare to the control group and was statistically significant. There was a significant reduction in the trend of anxiety increment after surgery in the intervention group in comparison to the control group.Attending in playrooms and using play activities may reduce the trend of increment in the anxiety level induced by surgical procedures

To translate Verona Service Satisfaction Scale-32 (VSSS-32) to Persian, to adapt it for Iranian culture and to investigate the performance characteristics of the Persian version intended to measure patient satisfaction with psychiatric care. The VSSS-32 was translated to Persian using an elaborated methodology according to World Health Organization guideline. In addition, understandability and feasibility, of the measure were investigated in 121 patients and 74 relatives. Few changes or few adaptations were made to bring about crosscultural comparability. The VSSS-32 questions were generally understandable and acceptable for Iranian patients and relatives. The instrument was feasible to be administered in both participants and interviewers point of view. The VSSS-32 Persian version appears to be a good crossculturally equivalent of the original English version. Understandability and applicability of the instrument was good