Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Volume:7 Issue: 1, Jun 2013

In Iran, department of forensic psychiatry is one of the special units of Legal Medicine Organization concerned with individuals who demonstrate psychological and psychiatric problems. The duties of forensic psychiatrists in the department are, performing psychiatric examinations and determining mental competence of two major groups of referrals: Individuals who are involved in a legal problem related to civil law and individuals who are involved in criminal responsibility and/or forbearance of punishment such as offenders and prisoners. One of the worries of the Iran jurisdiction system is the absence of a secure mental hospital devoted to the irresponsible mentally ill criminals. In fact, there is no forensic inpatient unit available in the country.

To compare the effectiveness of group training of stress management with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing depression, anxiety and stress perceived among HIV-positive men. Inthis semi-experimental study, three groups of HIV-positive men (CBT group, stress management group, and control group) including 15 patients in each group were compared regarding depression, anxiety, and stress using pre-test and post-test tools. Both interventions (CBT and stress management) were effective in reducing depression, anxiety and perceived stress. Evaluating adjustedmean showed the more effectivenessofthe group stressmanagementtraining than CBT. Group stress management training is more effective than group CBT in HIV-positive mentodecreasedepression, anxiety and stress management.

To compare resilience, positive/negative effect, and psychological vulnerability between fertile and infertile men. The research sample consisted of 40 fertile and 40 infertile men who were selected among men who presented to an infertility clinic. To collect data, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Positive/Negative Affect Schedule, and Brief Symptoms Inventory were used. The MANOVA results showed that infertile men had higher mean (SD) score for negative affect (46.15±8.31 vs. 23.10±8.50) and psychological vulnerability (37.90±12.39 vs. 23.30±6.40) than fertile men (P= 0.001); while infertile men had lower resilience (59.35±14.25 vs. 82.17±13.03) and positive affect (43.01±10.46 vs. 61.85±8.14) than fertile men (P= 0.001).The results of multiple regressions showed that resilience and negative affect had the highest significant contribution in prediction of psychological vulnerability in the infertile. Resilience and negative effects are the best predicators for mental vulnerability of infertile men. These factors may be addressed in future studies in infertile men.

Bipolar disorder is strongly associated with suicidal ideations, attempts and commissions. Although several studies have been conducted on suicide risk factors in patients with bipolar disorder worldwide, a comprehensive study has not been reported from Iran. Patients with bipolar disorder type I, hospitalized in Iran Hospital of Psychiatry since May 2008 to August 2011 were sequentially enrolled. Patients were evaluated using Demographic and Clinical Variables Questionnaire, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders (SCID-I), Young-Mania Rating Scale (Y-MRS), and Hamilton Depressive Rating Scale-7 (HDRS-7). One hundred patients were followed for 2 to 42 months (mean: 20.6 ± 12.5 months). Only one patient attempted suicide during the follow-up period. 33% of the patients had history of previous suicide attempts. Female gender, divorce, and early age at onset of the disease were independently correlated with suicide attempt. Suicide attempts rarely occur during systematic follow-up of patients with bipolar disorder type I. Larger samples and longer follow-ups are needed to confirm this finding.

Chronic infection of hepatitis B and hepatitis C are considered as the most important infectious diseases, which lead to drastic consequences such as liver dysfunction. Depression is a psychiatric disorder which is concomitantly present in these patients, and decreases the patients’ quality of life. It may lead to suicide, homicide or intentional transmission of infectious to others. Medical treatment with interferon can also lead to depression which is comparable to the depression caused by disease. We performed a cross sectional study on 205 patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection. We aimed to determine the prevalence of depression via Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and its correlates with hepatitis drugs. Of 205 patients, 154 cases had hepatitis B and 51 cases had hepatitis C infection. The frequency of depression was 68% in hepatitis B and 86% in hepatitis C infected patients (p<0.05). The frequency of mild depression was 14%, moderate depression was 57.3% and severe depression was 28.7% (p<0.05). Depression frequency in Interferon recipients was 100%, in interferon-ribavirin recipients was 94.4%, in lamivudine recipients was 64%, and in patients that receive no drug was 66.7%. Depression prevalence was significantly higher among those on interferon therapy (p<0.05). There is a high prevalence of depression among patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection, especially patients on interferon therapy. Hence these patients should be repeatedly evaluated for depression.

Previous studies have shown that up to 50% to 70% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who seek treatment have psychiatric comorbidity. The aim of this study was to report the history of anxiety and depression in IBS patients. The study, designed as a cross-sectional, was performed in a consecutive sample of individuals diagnosed with IBS in the Gastroenterology Clinic of Taleghani Hospital, Tehran province, Iran from October 2010 to October 2011. IBS was diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria. All participants were asked about perceived psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety in the past six months. 153 treatment-seeking IBS patients were entered to the study. The mean age of IBS patients with history of psychiatric symptoms (33.9 years) was relatively lower than those without this history (39.3 years); p< 0.05. There was a significant difference regarding mean age of diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) patients with history of psychiatric symptoms (26.8 years) and without such history (37.9 years); p< 0.05. However, such a difference was not seen among other types of IBS. The most frequent psychiatric symptoms were reported by the constipation-predominant IBS (IBSC) patients followed by mixed-IBS (IBS-M) and the least rate was seen in IBS-D. Approximately half of IBS patients reported anxiety and/or depression. IBS-C patients experienced higher proportions of anxiety and depression.

Elevated amino acid homocysteine (Hcy) levels and insufficient physical activity are the risk factors in Alzheimer disease (AD) development. The effect of intermittent aerobic training on memory retention test and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the dorsal hippocampus of rats which were stimulated with Hcy is investigated. In order to determine the dose at which using Shuttle Box Test recognizes degenerative changes and/or memory impairment, 40 rats were injected by different dosages of Hcy to the dorsal hippocampus. It was observed that the required Hcy dose is 0.6 M. Then 44 rats were divided into four groups including training and control groups at 4 weeks of aerobic exercise in training and control groups at 8 weeks. To determine the effect of homocysteine on the memory impairment, Shuttle Box Test was used on treadmill (5 sessions/week, 12-18 m/min and 10-58.5 min). Hcy administration caused memory impairment and significant increase in TBARS. Significant decrease in TBARS level was noted after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise, but not after just 4 weeks of exercise compared with control group. In addition, performing 8 weeks of aerobic training led to significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and the time of avoidance learning test. Hyperhomocysteinemia caused learning and memory deficits probably by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the present study showed that regular moderate intensity intermittent exercise may reverse this process and exercise is recommended as a strategy to improve symptoms of senile neurodegenerative disease.

The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between Spiritual Quotient parameters including understanding, life origin, and spiritual life and marital satisfaction of couples in Bandar Abbas City. It is descriptive correlational study. 150 couples referred to consultancy centers of Bandar Abbas City were selected by accessible sampling method. We utilized Spiritual Quotient Questionnaire and Marriage Satisfaction Questionnaire (ENRICH) which both have high reliability and validity levels. We calculated men, women and couples’ scores in the questionnaires. According to the findings; among all parameters of Spiritual Quotient, spiritual life had the strongest correlation with spiritual quotient (r=0.282 and r=0.277 for men and women; P<0.01 for both). Meanwhile, there were not any significant relationship between couples’ understanding and origin of life and their marital satisfaction. Overall, we can conclude that training according to cultural conditions as well as promoting couples’ spiritual quotient can be utilized to improve the quality of marital life of couples.–More studies should be conducted for further evaluation of the relationship between SQ and marital satisfaction. The results can be used for helping couples in increasing their marital satisfaction

There are disparities in mental health services (MHS) utilization within and between populations and several factors are studied as its potential correlates. Identifying those correlates would help health policy makers to adjust service provision with characteristics of their community. To evaluate demographic, socioeconomic and system correlates of MHS utilization among married women from Tehran, Iran. A household survey of 615 married women residents of 22 municipal districts of Tehran selected via a cluster sampling method. All subjects were asked about health services utilization during last one and 12 months as well as need and access for MHS, demographic and socioeconomic factors. Independent correlates of MHS use were determined with logistic regression analysis. Total 615 women, mean±SE age and duration of marital life of 42.6±0.9 and 22±0.8 years, respectively were selected, rate of MHS utilization during last one and 12 months were 5.2% and 10.1% respectively. 23.6% of women reported having mental illness and 19.3% and 17.9% had need for MHS and access to outpatient health services, respectively. Logistic regression models showed that need for MHS (OR:5.25, 95%CI:2.7-10.1), access to outpatient services (OR:2.17, 95%CI:1.04-4.52), smoking (OR:3.4, 95%CI:1.16-10.2) and crowding index (OR:0.69, 95%CI:0.48- 0.99). Rate of MHS utilization in women are low considering the near to estimated rate of perceived illness. Bridging the gap between perceived illness and need for services, then providing better access to services in areas with higher crowding index and higher rates of smoking in residents should considered in any mental health promotion programs.

In Iran, psychological aspect of HIV infection is poorly understood. The purposes of this study were to evaluate sexual dysfunction, depression rate and health-related quality of life and evaluate the association between sexual dysfunction, depression and quality of life in a group of HIV+ subjects in Shiraz, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 278 male HIV-positive patients who had referred to voluntary counseling and testing and methadone maintenance therapy centers were recruited based on convenience sampling from May to October 2010. The purpose of the study was explained and interested individuals provided informed consent and completed validated questionnaires [Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI), Beck Depression Inventory-short form(BDI)] to assess overall health related quality of life (HRQOL), sexual function, and depression. Average age of the participants was 34.9 ± 10.7 years and 37.5% were severely depressed. Ordinal logistic regression indicated that sexual drive (-0.15; CI: -0.28 to -0.027), ejaculation (-1.91, CI: -2.71 to -1.12), and problem assessment (-0.098, CI: -0.17 to -0.02) had significant effect on depression type. Depression was significantly correlated with poorer quality of life in all domains. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the BMSFI and the domains of SF- 36 indicated that sexual drive (r= 0.215), ejaculation (r= 0.297) and problem assessment (r= 0.213) were significantly correlated with emotional wellbeing. Sexual function and depression showed association with quality of life. Effective treatment of depression and sexual function may improve the quality of life of HIV-infected person.

This is a study about emotion management among a category of healthcare professional – hospital chaplains – who have hardly been the subject of sociological research about emotions. The aim of the study was to understand how chaplains manage their work-related emotions in order to protect their mental health, whilst also providing spiritual care. Using in-depth, semi structured interviews, the author spoke with 21 chaplains from five faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and modern paganism) in different Toronto (Canada) Hospitals to see how they manage their emotion, and what resources they rely on in order to protect their mental health. Data analysis was perfumed according to Sandelowski’s method of qualitative description. The average age and work experience of the subjects interviewed in this study are 52 and 9.6 respectively. 11 chaplains worked part-time and 10 chaplains worked full-time. 18 respondents were women and the sample incudes 3 male chaplains only. The findings are discussed, among others, according to the following themes: work-life balance, self-reflexivity, methods of self-care, and chaplains’ emotional make-up. Emotion management per se is not a problem. However, if chaplains fail to maintain a proper work-life balance, job pressure can be harmful. As a strategy, many chaplains work part-time. As a supportive means, an overwhelming number of chaplains regularly benefit from psychotherapy and/or spiritual guidance.