bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Demographic characteristics of IV drug abusers commencing treatment in opiate detoxification centers in Iran
Authors: Yassini Ardekani S.M. , Bozorgi S. , Taghavi M. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionIV drug abuse is a medical and social problem in countries all over the world including IranObjectivesKnowing about the characteristics of drug abuser could help policy makers to have more precise plan of action for prevention and management of addictionAimsThis study was designed to investigate the demographic characteristics of IV drug abusers in Iran and determining the risk factors for shifting to IV drug abuse.Methods150 intravenous drug addicts (147 males and 3 females) aged 19–61 referred to opiate detoxification centers in Yazd city in autumn 2008 were randomly enrolled to this descriptive cross sectional study. Data collection was undertaken through a structured interview, a questionnaire for demographic data and written documents at detoxification centers. Analysis of data was done with SPSS software (version 13).ResultsThere was positive family history of addiction in 56.7%, known psychiatric illness in 43.3%, known physical disease in 32% and history of psychotropic medication abuse in 58% of participants. The mean age of onset in opium and its derivatives abusers was 19.12, heroin abusers 23.5 and IV bupropion abusers 27.2 years. The most common injecting drug at the time of study was heroin (65.2%).ConclusionFamily history of addiction, psychiatric disease, physical illness and low education could all be risk factors for exacerbating an addiction. Identification of these risk factors could lead to the development of interventions to reduce the burden of addiction. Further research about this subject is required to determine if this is true.
Comorbidity among alcohol and tobacco dependent patients
Authors: Zoghlami A. , Blauensteiner D. , Scheibenbogen O. , Zadro-Jäger S. , Musalek M. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionPsychiatric concomitant diseases are common with alcohol and tobacco dependent patients. Few studies have compared comorbidities between alcohol dependent smokers and non-smokers.AimsThe aim of this study is to examine the pattern of psychiatric comorbidity among alcohol dependent smokers in an inpatient alcohol therapy unit.Material and methodAfter successfully completing withdrawal therapy, subjects between the ages of 18–65 years who meet the ICD 10 criteria for alcohol dependence and no criteria for other drug use disorder except smoking, and who were participating in an inpatient treatment program for alcohol dependence at Anton Proksch Institut were included.ResultsThis is a preliminary analysis of the survey. In total 81 patients could be examined. 53.1% of the interviewed subjects were female and 46.9% male. The explored samples age ranged from 21–66 years.74.1% of the questioned subjects were smokers, 60% of these patients smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day.Preliminary analysis shows that smoking alcohol dependent patients present a higher comorbidity rate than non-smokers but above all they show a tendency to increased anxiety disorders. Within the population of smokers 48.3% suffer from an anxiety disorder, 48.3% from depression and dysthymia, 12.1% from manic and hypomanic disorder and 5.2% from psychosis. These differences are not clinically significant. This can be explained by the small number of the sample and by the group allocation.ConclusionAlcohol addicted patients exhibit heightened psychiatric comorbidity. Smoking alcohol dependents are more frequently affected and have a disposition to psychiatric disorders.
Effect of education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Aghakhani N. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionAbout 65 percent of patients with myocardial infarction experience mental and emotional problems like depression and anxiety that causes delay in the return to work, decreased quality of life and increased risk of death.The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction in Urmia hospitals in 2009.MethodsThis study was a quasi-experimental study that compares the effect of education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction in the Urmia University of medical science hospitals. 124 patients were selected randomly and divided into two groups. The experimental group was educated through face to face training and educational booklet. Control group did not receive any intervention.Level of anxiety and depression was evaluated by using HADS questionnaire at 3 intervals after 48 hours of admission, discharge day and 2 months after discharge.ResultsThere was no significant difference between control and experimental groups before the intervention, But after the intervention, anxiety and depression in the experimental group was significantly less than controls, p < 0.05.ConclusionConsidering the beneficial results obtained from education on reducing anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction, it should be one of the health care goals.
Religiosity and personal beliefs in ocd and anxiety disorders
Authors: Agorastos A. , Randjbar S. , Muhtz C. , Jelinek L. , Kellner M. , Moritz S. 
Published: May 2011

BackgroundIn the last decades the relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S), personal beliefs and mental health has been extensively studied, indicating a significant correlation of these variables. However, the specific relation of R/S to anxiety disorders has been less investigated.ObjectiveThe objective of this prospective study is the investigation of the relation of R/S, magical ideation (MI) and paranormal beliefs (PB) to anxiety disorders in general and OCD in particular, in order to specifically determine a possible impact of these variables on psychopathology scores. In addition, the relation between R/S, PB and MI can be systematically investigated.Design & methodUnselected samples with OCD and other anxiety disorders have been equally assessed within the first week after admission with a face-to-face interview including the following instruments: MINI, HAMD, HAMA and Y-BOCS, OCI-R, STAI, Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality, Magical Ideation Scale and Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale. Forty healthy participants with no psychiatric history served as controls.ResultsGroups did not differ in any aspect of R/S, MI, or PB. Almost all scales referring to R/S, PB and MI were positively correlated to each other. The results showed a strong positive correlation between high scores of negative religious coping and high psychopathology scores in depression and anxiety. On the other hand, there was a significant positive correlation between MI scores and initial OCD and anxiety scores.ConclusionThis study verifies a significant correlation between personal beliefs and psychopathology in OCD and anxiety disorders. Implications for further research are discussed.
Gender differences in anxiety among undergraduates from twenty two countries
Authors: Alansari B.M. 
Published: May 2011

ObjectiveThe aim of the current investigation was to explore gender related differences in anxiety among undergraduates from 22 countries.MethodStandard Arabic Version of the Kuwait University Anxiety scale (comprised of 20 brief statements, answered on a 4-point intensity scale, anchored by 1: Rarely and 4: Always) was administered to Arabic undergraduates, recruited from the following countries: Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudis Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, U.A. Emirate, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco. (n = 608, 271, 879, 842, 948, 780, 782, 435, 154, 393, 342, 833, 1185, 275, 291, 295, 375, & 706. While the English Version was administered to American (n = 273) and Pakistan (n = 462) samples, the Germen version was administered to the Germen subjects (n = 157), Moreover the Spanish version was administered to the Spanish sample (n = 312).ResultsIt was found that females significantly had higher mean anxiety scores than did their male counterparts in 15 countries: Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, American, & Spain.ConclusionFemale preponderance of anxiety has been a consistent finding. In the present researcher opinion, the anxiety score of any given person is the end product of both biological and psychosocial factors and their interaction. Furthermore, the response styles, especially social desirability and the tendency to hyperbole had an impact on anxiety score.
Panic disorder and quality of life: a tunisian study
Authors: Aloulou J. , Halouani N. , Ben Ammar H. , Naoui R. , Amami O. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionPanic disorder with or without agoraphobia is one of the most disabling anxiety disorders. It has severe consequences on psychosocial functioning and quality of life of patients.The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of life in a population of patients treated for panic disorder.MethodsThirty patients were evaluated using a standardized questionnaire exploring socio-demographic parameters, clinical parameters and evolutionary parameters. It also explore the the disorder impact on social life, family and work.Assessing the quality of life was performed using the (SF-36). This scale includes 36 questions divided into eight dimensions.Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS in its 18th version.ResultsThe average age of our population was 42.07 years with extremes ranging from 22 to 71years. The sex ratio was 1.The socioeconomic level was low in 56.7% of cases, medium in 40% of cases and high in 3.3% of cases.Half of the patients reported having marital conflicts; these conflicts had led to divorce in 3.3% of cases.Regarding the professional impact of panic disorder, 33.3% of patients were off work, and 20% used sick leave.The overall average scores of the SF-36 of all patients ranged from 0 to 76 with an average of 37, 98 and a standard deviation of 18.46.Ninety percent had impaired quality of life (overall mean score of less than 66, 7) All dimensions are altered in 100% of the cases except D1 (physical dimension) that is altered in 63.7% of cases.
Prevalence, symptom patterns and comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care in qatar
Authors: Bener A. 
Published: May 2011

AimTo determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in Qatari population who attend the primary health care settings and examine their symptoms patterns and co-morbidity.DesignA cross sectional.SettingPrimary health care center, QatarSubjectsA total of 2080 Qatari subjects aged 18 to 65 years were approached and 1660 (79.8%) patients participated in this study.MethodsThe study was based on a face to face interview with a designed diagnostic screening questionnaire which consists of 17 questions about symptoms and signs of anxiety and depression disorders. Physicians determined the definitive diagnosis for depression and anxiety disorders by further checking and screening their symptoms.ResultsThe overall prevalence of depression and anxiety disorder was 13.5% and 10.3% respectively. Qatari women were at higher risk for depression (53.1% vs 46.9%) and anxiety disorder (56.7% vs 43.3%) compared to men. More than half of the sufferers with anxiety (56.7%) and depression (53.1%) were Qatari women with a higher frequency in the age group 1834 years. There were significant differences between men and women with depression in terms of age group (p = 0.004), marital status (p = 0.04), occupation (p < 0.001) and household income (p = 0.002). Nervousness was the most common symptom in subjects with anxiety disorders (68.4%), whereas sleep difficulty was the most common symptom in subjects with depressive disorder (59.4%).ConclusionThe depression was more prevalent in Qatari than anxiety disorders. The high risk groups of depression and anxiety disorders were being female, married, middle aged and highly educated.
Prevalence of specific fears in children of karachi
Authors: Bhatti U.H. , Khalid U. , Zakaria M.M.H. , Afridi I.M. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionChildren's fears are not only a part of their development but can also reflect unique cultural and societal norms as well as the influence of current affairs on cognition & behaviourObjectivesIdentifying prevalent fears in children of Karachi,Pakistan and gender/age differences.AimsIdentifying common fears and assessing the impact of sociopolitical factors on children's perceptionMethods1171 children (731 boys, 440 girls) from classes 3–10 of a large school were selected and completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (Revised).ResultsThe highest overall fear was of’Bombing attacks/being invaded’, which was also the highest in boys (’Snakes’ in girls). The greatest gender difference was seen in the fear of lizards (p < 0.001). The overall average FSSC-R score was 133(27.5) and frequency of intense fears was 16(12.4), both higher in girls. Younger children had greater scores and intense fears compared to adolescents.ConclusionsChildren are uniquely sensitive to “adult” issues, evidenced by the highest fear overall: bombing attacks/invasions, while fear of terrorists also ranked high (#11). Fears related to academic performance increased with age whereas younger children were more fearful of items perceived as causing physical harm; reflecting that stresses of education displace fears of danger and injury. Of the ten items with the greatest gender-differences, all belonged to the “Minor Injury/Small Animals” category. Lastly, comparison with previous studies showed no significant difference (p > 0.1) in either total scores or intensity of fears, suggesting that despite varying individual fears the overall profile remained constant for children of different cultures.
Brief therapy for PTSD: role and specificity of hypnosis
Authors: Boualem S. , Semaoune P. , Ousalah A. 
Published: May 2011

Throughout its history, hypnosis has often been associated with the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the authors differ in the evaluation of its effectiveness. Hypnosis can be useful for the exposure to the event, which is necessary but not sufficient, especially when pathogenic fragments of the event are dissociated, and stand in the way of the healing process.Specific hypnotic techniques help to access and to integrate these elements. Four clinical cases representing the type of patients we treat illustrate our approach.
Adult separation anxiety in patients with complicated grief: relationship with post traumatic stress versus mood spectrum symptomatology
Authors: Carmassi C. , Socci C. , Corsi M. , Pergentini I. , Massimetti E. , Perugi G. , Dell’Osso L. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionAround 9–20% of bereaved individuals experience symptoms of complicated grief (CG) associated with significant distress and impairment. Increasing research has been focused on identifying the distinctive set of psychiatric symptoms that characterize this condition with respect to major depression, corroborating the need to include this syndrome in the forthcoming DSM-V as a distinctive diagnosis. Vulnerability to CG has been rooted in attachment disturbances and authors reported that symptoms of separation anxiety in childhood should be considered as predictors of CG onset in adulthood.ObjectivesTo date no study explored symptoms of adult separation anxiety among patients with CG with respect to healthy control subjects (HC).AimsTo explore adult separation anxiety and mood spectrum symptoms in patients with CG with respect to HC.Methods53 patients with CG and 50 control subjects were recruited, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pisa. Assessments: SCID-I/P, the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), the Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the Mood Spectrum-Self Report (MOODS-SR) lifetime version.ResultsPatients with CG reported significantly higher scores on the MOODS-SR, ASA_27, IES and WSAS with respect to controls. The scores on the ASA_27 were more strongly associated with IES scores with respect to other scales.ConclusionsOur results suggest a correlation between adult separation anxiety and CG onset after the loss of a loved one in adulthood, with a possible correlation to a post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Further studies are needed.
Gender differences in the correlations between cortisol levels or DHEA-S/cortisol ratio and panic-agoraphobic dimensions in healthy subjects
Authors: Dell’Osso L. , Carmassi C. , Massimetti E. , Corsi M. , Pergentini I. , Socci C. , Vizzaccaro C. , Da Pozzo E. , Conversano C. , Marazziti D. , Martini C. 
Published: May 2011

IntroductionA link between anxiety and disfunctions of the Hypotalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been widely reported in both normal and pathological anxiety, but research findings are controversial.ObjectivesTo explore gender differences in the relationships between cortisol and neurosteroids and subthreshold anxiety dimensions.AimsTo investigate the possible correlations between serum cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) levels, or DHEA-S/cortisol ratio, and the subthreshold panic dimensions in a sample of healthy subjects.MethodsForty-two Italian civilians, without current or lifetime psychiatry disorders, were recruited and assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I/P) and a specific questionnaire, the so-called Panic Agoraphobic Spectrum-Self Report lifetime version (PAS-SR), for assessing subthreshold panic-agoraphobic dimensions.ResultsThe results showed the presence of significant negative correlations between the cortisol levels and the total scores of the PAS-SR and of the following domains: separation sensitivity, panic like symptoms and medication/substance sensitivity. The PAS-SR total and the panic-like symptoms domain scores were related positively to the DHEAS/cortisol ratio. When the sample was distinguished in women and men, it turned out that this correlations were present only in women.ConclusionsThis findings would indicate that cortisol levels are related to subthreshold panic-agoraphobic symptoms, with a gender specificity. Therefore, further studies are needed to investigate those subthreshold conditions in order to indentify possible gender differences that may account for phenotypes at higher risk for psychiatric disorders.
Different types of panic attacks-three case reports
Authors: Chai M. 
Published: May 2011

Case report/ IntroductionA panic attack is an explosion of high anxiety. It is strongly associated with a sense of losing control or predicting that the very worst will happen. It is not a mental disorder, more than one in five people experience one or more panic attacks in their lifetime, but few go on to develop panic disorder or agoraphobia. There are different types of panic attacks: Cued Panic Attacks, Situational Predisposed Panic Attacks and Spontaneous Panic Attacks.ObjectivesTo discuss three case reports with one year follow-up, each one of a different type of panic attack.Case report1 Female, 25-years-old. First panic attack at age 20, since there several spontaneous episodes with a mean of 4 a week, not related to any specific situation, event, or place, without any warning.Case report2 Male, 28-years-old. Has always been afraid of airplanes but it was only 3 years ago that riding on an airplane has started to trigger panic attack. He don’t experience panic attacks in any other situation.Case report3 Male, 31-years-old. First episode 4 years ago while driving alone and since there driving, traveling alone, enclosed spaces and crowds are more likely to trigger a panic attack but not always. They don’t have a specific fear or phobia tied to that situation or place; they simply tend to experience panic attacks when there.ConclusionUnderstanding the different types of panic attacks can help you and your doctor determine the cause of your attacks and the best way to go about treating them.
Disgust sensitivity predicts obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms above and beyond anxiety sensitivity and negative affectivity
Authors: Chorot P. , Sandin B. , Santed M.A. , Valiente R.M. , Olmedo M. , Campagne D. 
Published: May 2011

Introduction and aimsBoth anxiety sensitivity (AS) and negative affect (NA) are significant general predictors of anxiety disorders, including the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; Taylor, 1999). Recently, our group reported preliminary findings suggesting that disgust sensitivity was able to predict OCD symptoms, particularly contamination obsessions and washing compulsions, when controlling for AS and NA (Sandín et al., 2008). The present study examines whether disgust domains of the Cuestionario de Sensibilidad al Asco (CSA) [Disgust Sensitivity Questionnaire] predict obsessive-compulsive symptoms above and beyond AS and NA.MethodA sample of undergraduates completed the CSA (see Valiente et al.), the Padua Inventory-Whasington State University Revision (Burns et al., 1996), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (Taylor et al., 2007; Sandín et al., 2007), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., 1988, Sandín et al., 1999).ResultsHierarchic regression analysis revealed that CSA was a better predictor of contamination obsessions and washing compulsions than anxiety sensitivity and negative affect. Also, CSA domains predicted differentially each obsessive-compulsive dimension.ConclusionsContamination-based OCD symptoms appears to be particularly associated to disgust sensitivity, specially with the CSA dimension of hygiene (it includes items such as “Seeing someone spit”, Touching the clothes of a beggar or homeless”). Assuming that contamination-based OCD is a very prevalent type of OCD, future studies on implication of this dimension in its development and/or maintenance is warranted.
Heart rate variability and dissociation in panic disorder
Authors: Diveky T. , Kamaradova D. , Grambal A. , Latalova K. , Prasko J. , Velartova H. , Trcova A. 
Published: May 2011

The aim of our study is to measure very low frequency band (VLF), low frequency band (LF) and high frequency band (HF) components of R-R interval during orthostatic experiment in panic disorder patients before and after treatment.MethodsWe assessed heart rate variability in 19 patients with panic disorder before and after 6-weeks treatment with antidepressants combined with CBT and 18 healthy controls. They were regularly assessed on the CGI, BAI and BDI. Heart rate variability was assessed during 5 min standing, 5 min supine and 5 min standing positions before and after the treatment. Power spectra were computed using a fast Fourier transformation for very low frequency - VLF (0.0033 - 0.04 Hz), low-frequency - LF (0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency - HF (0.15-0.40 Hz) powers.Results19 panic disorder patients entered a 6-week open-label treatment study with combination of SSRI and cognitive behavioral therapy. A combination of CBT and pharmacotherapy proved to be the effective treatment of patients. They significantly improved in all rating scales. There were highly statistical significant differences between panic patients and control group in all components of power spectral analysis in 2nd and in two component of 3rd (LF and HF in standing) positions. There was also statistically significant difference between these two groups in LF/HF ratio in supine position (2nd). During therapy there was tendency to increasing values in all three positions in components of HRV power spectra, but there was only statistically significant increasing in HF1 component.Supported by project IGA MZ ČR NS 10301-3/2009