Iranian Journal of Psychiatry
Volume:7 Issue: 3, Summer 2012

Visual memory is an important cognitive ability, which has been studied in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). In such studies meaningful shapes were used more frequently. Since meaningless shapes provide a better assessment of short term visual memory, in this study we used them to evaluate visual memory in children and adolescents with ASDs compared to the normal group. Four visual memory tests of Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) including Paired Associates Learning (PAL), Pattern Recognition Memory (PRM), Spatial Recognition Memory (SRM) and Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS) were administered to 15 children and adolescents with ASDs (high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome) and to 15 normal participants aged 8 to 17,with IQ of above 70. Individuals with ASDs performed worse than the normal group on visual memory tasks. After eliminating IQ as a covariate, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of visual memory performance. It seems that deficits on visual memory tasks in youths with ASDs could be related to their general intellectual abilities.

It is not clear whether sibling’s gender ratio is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examines whether inattentiveness severity and hyperactivity/impulsivity severity are associated with birth order of children with ADHD. Participants are a clinical sample of 173 children and adolescents with ADHD and 43 ones without ADHD. Diagnoses were made using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders forth edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), diagnostic criteria according to face-to-face interview with the children and their parents. ADHD DSM-IV checklist was used to measure inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores. The association of birth order and diagnosis of ADHD was not statistically significant after adjusting for covariate factors. The gender ratio of siblings is not associated with ADHD. Birth order and siblings gender ratio are independent of ADHD diagnosis. The results of this study support the fact that genetic factors rather than environmental factor of birth order is associated with ADHD. Moreover, contrary to autism, the current results do not suggest the androgen theory for ADHD.

It is postulated that ritalin may adversely affect sleep, appetite, weight and growth of some children with ADHD. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate melatonin supplementation effects on dietary intake, growth and development of children with ADHD treated with ritalin through circadian cycle modification and appetite mechanisms. After obtaining consent from parents, 50 children aged 7-12 with combined form of AD/HD were randomly divided into two groups based on gender blocks: one received melatonin (3 or 6 mg based on weight) combined with ritalin (1mg/kg) and the other took placebo combined with ritalin (1mg/kg) in a double blind randomized clinical trial. Three-day food record, and standard weight and height of children were evaluated prior to the treatment and 8 weeks after the treatment. Children’s appetite and sleep were evaluated in weeks 0, 2, 4 and 8. Hypotheses were then analyzed using SPSS17. Paired sample t-test showed significant changes in sleep latency (23.15±15.25 vs. 17.96±11.66; p=0.047) and total sleep disturbance score (48.84±13.42 vs. 41.30±9.67; p=0.000) before and after melatonin administration, respectively. However, appetite and food intake did not change significantly during the study. Sleep duration and appetite were significantly correlated in melatonin group (Pearson r=0.971, p=0.029). Mean height (138.28±16.24 vs. 141.35±16.78; P=0.000) and weight (36.73±17.82 vs. 38.97±17.93; P=0.005) were significantly increased in melatonin treated children before and after the trial. Administration of melatonin along with ritalin improves height and weight growth of children. These effects may be attributed to circadian cycle modification, increasing sleep duration and the consequent more growth hormone release during sleep.

The aim of this study was to compare marital satisfactionbetween parents of children with attention deficit hyper activity disorder (ADHD) and parents of normal children. In this study we have selected 400 parents (200 parents of children with ADHD and 200 parents of normal children), whose children age range was 6-18 years. Data were collected using Enrich marital satisfaction Questionnaire, Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Conner’s Questionnaire (parent and self-report forms). For data analysis, SPSS software17, bivariate χ2- test, and independent t- test were used. The mean of marital satisfaction in parents of normal children was higher than parents of ADHD children. In the bivariate χ2- test, the p value was less than 0.05, and the obtained t was more than the table-t (1.96), so it can be assumed that there is a significant difference between parents of normal children and those with ADHD children in their marital satisfaction. The level of marital satisfaction (strongly agree level) was 2.8% lower among parents of ADHD children compared to parents of normal children. Findings indicate that parents with ADHD children have lower level of marital satisfaction than parents with normal children.

This study examines development of social competence, and behavior problems in kindergarten children during a specific period of childhood. A sample of 499 kindergarten children (244 girls and 255 boys) with the age range of 2 years up to 5 years and 6 months was selected using the random stratified sampling method. To collect data, California Preschool Social Competence Scale and Social Skills Rating System were completed by kindergarten teachers. The trend analysis shows that both the linear and quadratic trends for verbal facility were statistically significant. Similarly, both the linear and cubic trends were significant for considerateness, and the linear trend tendency was significant for subscales of extraversion, response to unfamiliar and task orientation. Pearson's correlation coefficient yielded a low-to-moderate and negative correlation patterns between social component and problem behaviors. The study findings indicate a significant linear trend between the progression in social competence and increasing age, consequently leading to a decrease in social problems for children whose age was from 2 years up to 5 years and 6 months.

Test the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Perception of Psychiatry Survey questionnaire, which is being used in a large multi-site international study, of which we were part. This instrument was designed to measure the attitudes of medical educators to psychiatry. We used World Health Organization guideline as the methodological model for Persian translation. The Persian version of Perception of Psychiatry Survey questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 100 medical teachers at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Azad University. The content validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the instrument were assessed. No item changed completely during the process of translation and cultural adaptation. The content validity of translation and back translation was 0.74 and 0.86 according to Feliss Kappa Statistic. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.76 for the Persian version and for its subdivisions ranged from 0.59 to 0.81. The inter class correlation (ICC) coefficient for test-retest reliability of the whole instrument was 0.89. The Persian version of Perception of Psychiatry Survey questionnaire could be considered as a good cross-cultural equivalent for original English version. The instrument is a reliable instrument in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) and negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia. Subjects of the study comprised of 31 schizophrenia with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (19 men and 12 women) selected by convenience sampling method from Iran psychiatric Hospital. The diagnoses were established on the basis of DSM-IV-TR. The required data were obtained using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale (Y-BOC). The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that obsessive symptoms inversely predict negative symptoms. In other words, as the obsessive symptoms increase, the negative symptoms of schizophrenia decrease. Nevertheless, no significant relationship was found between OCSs and positive symptoms. This study reveals that OCSs exert a protective effect on schizophrenia and do not necessarily cause poorer prognosis.

Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is one of the most commonly used antipsychotics. Though olanzapine is commonly associated with endocrine side effects, it is generally well tolerated by most patients and is rarely associated with urinary incontinence. This report highlights the case of a 23 -year old male patient with schizophrenia who developed severe urinary incontinence following the use of olanzapine. No medications were given to relieve the incontinence contrary to some other studies where ephedrine was used. Olanzapine was changed to trifluoperazine, and the patient's condition improved within two days. Urinary incontinence, though uncommon, is an embarrassing side effect of olanzapine which could negatively affect drug compliance. As such, clinicians should enquire about it in order to improve the patient’s health.