Patients’ personalities seem to affect their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the association of personality traits and characteristics of Iranian COVID-19 outpatients with their compliance to nonmandatory quarantine orders. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020-2021 on 97 COVID-19 outpatients. The temperament and character inventory-revised short version (TCI-RS) and a self-report checklist assessing compliance with quarantine orders were used to collect data. SPSS was used to analyze the data and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of 142 patients who were contacted, 97 participated in the study (68% response rate). The mean age of patients was 39.21 ± 10.27 years and 54 (55.7%) of them were men. Compliance with quarantine orders was correlated with cooperativeness ( r = 0.33; P = 0.001), persistence ( r = 0.23, P = 0.020), self-transcendence ( r = 0.27, P = 0.006) and harm avoidance ( r = -0.26, P = 0.008). Linear regression analysis demonstrated persistence ( P = 0.034), cooperativeness ( P = 0.008) and being married ( P = 0.002) as predictors for following the quarantine orders. Lower levels of cooperativeness, persistence, self-transcendence, and higher levels of harm avoidance are associated with noncompliance with quarantine orders. These traits should be considered while persuasive communication to the public is formulated to recognize the target population and increase compliance with nonmandatory quarantine orders.

Bipolar disorder is one of the major psychiatric disorders. Therefore, determining the factors that predict mood stabilizer response is important. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality profile and the response to lithium carbonate and sodium valproate in patients with psychotic mania. In this study, 50 patients with bipolar I disorder (manic episode with psychotic features) were randomly assigned to receive lithium carbonate (up to a serum level of 0.8-1.5 mEq/L) or sodium valproate (20 mg/kg). After stabilization of acute manic phase, Temperament and Character Inventory was completed by the patients themselves. Fifty subjects completed this study. The mean age ± SD of participants in the sodium valproate group and lithium carbonate group was 32.99 ± 9.94 and 30.73±7.94 years, respectively. The responders to sodium valproate had significantly higher scores in novelty seeking, harm avoidance (P = 0.003 and 0.004, respectively) and lower scores in persistence (P = 0.006) than the non-responders, but the responders to lithium carbonate did not have significantly different personality profiles. The results of the present study revealed that the personality profiles in the inpatients with psychotic mania are related to the responses to sodium valproate, but are irrelevant to the responses to lithium carbonate.

Introduction Schizophrenia is associated with persistent cognitive deficits, which worsen treatment outcomes despite increasing antipsychotic doses. This study aimed to assess the effect of levetiracetam on the severity of schizophrenia symptoms and cognitive deficits in these patients. Materials and MethodsIn this randomized, controlled, three-blind randomized clinical trial approved by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran (IRCT20101130005280N31), forty chronic schizophrenic patients aged 18-60 years were randomly divided into two groups of levetiracetam and placebo. The levetiracetam group received levetiracetam for 8 weeks. The symptoms were evaluated by Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Stroop test, Digit Span test and Wisconsin Test at baseline, 4th week, and 8th week. Data were analyzed through SPSS V. 23 software, descriptive tests and inferential statistics. ResultsAt the end of the study, all subscales of the PANSS questionnaire reduced significantly (P < 0.05). Also, all subscales of the cognitive tests had significant changes. The trends of digit span tests, correct number of consonants and inconsonant were increasing. While the trends related to consonant errors, inconsistent errors, consistent reaction time and nonconsistent reaction time were decreasing. The changes in the number of classes were increased while changes in preservation error were decreased. ConclusionThe results showed that levetiracetam has significant effects on clinical symptoms, especially negative symptoms. Also, it impacts significantly on cognitive functions. It is recommended that it be added to the pharmacological regimen of these patients to improve their clinical symptoms, quality of life and treatment outcomes.

Inflammatory processes in the brain play a role in acute mania etiopathogenesis. There is little evidence indicating the efficacy of celecoxib adjuvant therapy in treatmenting of manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Therefore, this clinical trial aimed to assess the celecoxib effect on treating acute mania. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 58 patients meeting the criteria for acute mania were enrolled. After considering eligibility, 45 patients were included in the study and randomly divided into two groups. The first group (23 patients) received sodium valproate 400 mg/day along with celecoxib 400 mg/day, and the second group (22 patients) received sodium valproate 400 mg/day and a placebo. The subjects were evaluated by the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) at the beginning of the study and 9, 18, and 28 days following the initiation of the medication. Evaluation of baseline factors indicated a significant difference in age (P = 0.01) and psychiatric history (P = 0.02) between the two groups. However, other factors were similar between groups (P ≥ 0.05). Comparing the YMRS score between celecoxib and placebo groups revealed no significant difference on days 0, 9, 18, and 28. However, the YMRS score at the end of the study decreased by 16.05 ± 7.65 in the intervention group (P < 0.001) and 12.50 ± 5.98 in controls (P < 0.001) compared to the baseline, the trend of change was not significant between the two groups during the time of the study (F = 0.38; P = 0.84). Although celecoxib adjuvant therapy indicated no considerable side effects, a longer treatment duration may be needed to detect its beneficial effects for treating acute mania in bipolar patients. Trial registration: Iran clinical trial register: IRCT20200306046708N1.

Background: Regarding the high prevalence of methamphetamine (MA) abuse among the youth population and its consequences, especially psychiatric problems. Objectives: This research aimed to investigate the relationship between the rate and severity of methamphetamine associated psychotic symptoms with duration and dose of methamphetamine in Iranian abusers. Patients and Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study consisted of all methamphetamine abusers who referred to Ibn-e-Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad city. The cases were selected through convenience sampling method. The research instrument included the demographic questionnaire and positive and negative symptoms scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient through SPSS software. Results: The participants included 100 amphetamine abusers (80 men and 20 women) with the mean age of 30.84 ± 6.62 years. There were significant relationships between dose of amphetamine abuse and positive (P = 0.004) and negative psychotic symptoms (P = 0.04), while the duration of amphetamine abuse did not have any significant relationships with positive and negative psychotic symptoms and general psychopathology (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings indicated dose-related psychosis in amphetamine abusers while the duration of abuse did not have any significant relationships with psychotic symptoms and general psychopathology.

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]

BackgroundInflammatory processes play a role in the etiopathogenesis of bipolar disorder type 1. Full therapeutic responses are seldom seen and the ongoing inflammatory processes in the brain could lead to neuronal loss. Curcumin, a relatively safe herbal compound, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. The present randomized double-blind clinical trial study aimed to investigate the effect of adding curcumin to the treatment regimen of BID.Materials and methodsThis randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 78 patients diagnosed with BID according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) criteria. The sample were divided into two groups. Patients in both groups received sodium valproate starting at a dose of 600 milligrams per day and administered up to 20 milligrams per kilogram per day or the highest dosage of the patient’s tolerance. Patients in the intervention group also received curcumin as nanomicelle in soft gelatin capsules 40 milligrams per day. The control group received placebo tablets with the same characteristics as the curcumin tablets. They were assessed by a psychiatrist using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and a medication side effect questionnaire at the beginning of the study, as well as in the first, second, and fourth weeks of the study.ResultsAmong the 78 patients chosen to participate in the project, 54 people completed the trial. No specific side effect was observed in the two groups. Both groups showed an increase in their MMSE scores compared to the beginning of the study (value of p &lt; 0.001). Although this increase was not statistically different between the two groups (value of p = 0.68). The YMRS score of both groups decreased significantly by the end of the study (value of p &lt; 0.001); however, this decrease was not significantly different between the two groups (value of p = 0.64). In addition, the two groups experienced a significant increase in their CGI scores throughout the study (value of p &lt; 0.001), this increase however was not statistically different between the two groups (value of p = 0.88).ConclusionThe present study suggested that curcumin may not be a useful adjuvant agent in the management of patients with BID receiving sodium valproate as treatment.Clinical trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), identifier IRCT2016102530504N1.

Background & Objective: Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disorder that affects patients physically and mentally. It is a co-existing disorder that can impact disease management adversely and trigger diabetes-related complications. However, it seems that the role of factors associated with depression are underestimated by both patients and physicians. We examined the associations between depression and blood sugar control and the role of associated factors such as demographic features, Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Fasting Blood Sugar, lifestyle and diabetes-related complications on depression in adults with diabetes mellitus. Materials & Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 219 adults diagnosed with diabetes. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring depressive symptoms and demographic backgrounds. Laboratory values and data from physical examination were also collected. Results: The prevalence of depression was 12.3% in our population. The mean level of HbA1c and FBS was also higher among depressed patients. however, it was not significantly different among patients with and without depression. There was no statistically significant correlation between the Beck Depression Scale mean scores and the mean of FBS, HbA1c and BMI (p<0.01). Conclusion: Our findings reveal that depression rate among diabetes patients is considerable. In fact, mental status should be noticed as well as pathological status in clinical practice.