Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services.

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The grief caused by loved ones’ death causes grief is a global phenomenon. The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant changes in human lifestyles and the experience of grief. The purpose of the present study was to compare grief experiences in the deceased's relatives caused by Covid-19 and non-Covid-19. Seventy-five first- and second-degree relatives of the deceased infected with Covid-19 (n = 33) and non-Covid-19 (n = 42) in a Gorgan hospital in northern Iran were included cross-sectional study using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the GEQ-34 grief experience questionnaire and demographic variables and questions related to funeral and burial. The results revealed that the deceased's burial quality caused by the Covid-19 group was significantly lower (p = 0.035). However, the feeling of the Covid-19 label is significantly higher (p <0.001). There was no significant variation in grief's broad experience between the two groups (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the experience of grief was significantly different in the group of relatives of the deceased infected by Covid-19 in terms of notoriety (P = 0.040) and physical reactions (p = 0.002). Educational interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination due to death caused by Covid-19 and clinical and psychological support of relatives of the deceased due to Covid-19 are recommended by compiling appropriate messages from different channels.

Background: This community-based study aimed to investigate the psychiatric disorders and their comorbidities according to the kind of psychiatric disorders. Frequency of demographic factors and the prevalence of total psychiatric disorders in term of demographic charactheristics were obtained too. Materials and Methods: The present study focused on 1028 children and adolescent aged 6 to 18 years old across the Razavi Khorasan province by random sampling. The subjects included 496 boys and 532 girls from three age groups (6-9 years, 10-14 years and 15-18 years). Eight clinical psychologists trained to complete the Persian version of K-SADS-PL (Kiddie-SADS present and life time version). This scale measures five diagnostic appendixes of psychiatric disorders. Demographic data of participants were collected too. The data were recorded into the SPSS version 16. The relationship between psychiatric disorders and demographic factors deliberate by descriptive analysis and 95% confidence interval.  Results: The total rate of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescent was estimated as 20.5%, elimination disorders with a rate of 12.9% was the most prevalent disorder in the subjects. The lowest prevalence belongs to psychotic disorder and bulimia nervosa (0.1%). Of participants with mood disorders about 71.4% have behavioral disorders too. Anxiety disorders also commonly occurred in person with mood disorders. The comparison of ORs and their 95% confidence interval revealed that there is a significant difference for total psychiatric disorder among boys and girls (OR=0.6 for girls; 95% CI: 0.44-0.82). The rate of total psychiatric disorders in rural and urban areas was 14.9% and 21.1% respectively. Conclusion: With attention to the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents, it’s necessary that healthcare officials pay more attention to reinforcement of mental health care.[GMJ.2020;9:e1714]

Background: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) can theoretically reduce the psychosocial harms of opioid dependency. The increasing number of MMT clinics in Iran during the last two decades was not accompanied by a reduction in addiction rates. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the psychopathological characteristics of individuals on MMT, opioid dependents, and a control group in the Iranian population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mashhad to evaluate the psychopathological profile of 99 participants (33 opioid-dependent individuals [ODI], 33 MMT clients, and 33 controls) using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire and demographic form. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to compare the mean score of symptoms between the three groups. The Spearman correlation test was used to test the correlation of psychological features with age and dependency duration. Findings: There was no significant difference between MMT clients and ODI regarding the Global Severity Index (GSI) and nine items of the SCL-90-R questionnaire. However, a significant difference was found between the controls and two other groups (P<0.001). Paranoid ideation in the ODI was more frequent compared to MMT clients significantly (P=0.015). Psychological characteristics had a direct correlation with dependency duration and an inverse correlation with age (P<0.05). Conclusion: Psychopathologic features observed in the dependent patients and MMT clients were significantly higher than in the control group. It seems that the psychopathology profile in MMT clients was not better than dependent individuals in Iran.