BackgroundDysthimia in adults is a chronic depression disorder which is characterized by a mild depression for at least 2 years. Remarkable psycho-social involvements, greater disturbances in psycho-social functions compared to other forms of depression and lack of definite findings about preferred treatment for this disorder led us to evaluate the effectiveness of Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) method adjunct to pharmacotherapy compared with pharmachothrapy alone in treating dysthymia in this thesis.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on a chronic type of depression disorder called dysthymiaPatients and MethodsThis study is a clinical trial of an interventional method which was carried out on dysthymic and double depressed patients who had referred to psychiatric clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. In doing so, 50 patients above the age of 18 were selected through convenience sampling and assigned into intervention and control groups. The control group only received medications while the intervention group in addition to receiving medication, participated in 8 sessions of a mindfulness based cognitive therapy course which was held once a week and each session lasted for 2 to 2.5 hours. All the participants filled out Beck Depression Inventory II and five facet mindfulness questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software (version 16) and univariate covariance and independent t test statistical methods.ResultsIn this study, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the demographic characteristics. The mean difference between the two groups was statistically significant for the variables in post-test considering the pre-test. The experimental group participants showed significant improvement in terms of the defined variables; a trend which was not observed in the control group participants.ConclusionThe results of this study show that adding MBCT to pharmacotherapy in treatment of dysthymic patients can cause significant improvement in depression symptoms and mindfulness skills in patients compared to pharmacotherapy alone.

Background The novel approaches to psychiatric classification assume that disorders, contrary to what was previously thought, are not completely separate phenomena. In this regard, in addition to symptom-based criteria, disturbances are also considered on the basis of lower level components. With this viewpoint, identifying common biochemical markers would be beneficial in adopting a comprehensive strategy for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Main body One of the problematic areas in clinical settings is the coexistence of both obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and bipolar disorder (BD) that is challenging and difficult to manage. In this study, using a system biologic approach we aimed to assess the interconnectedness of OCD and BD at different levels. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) method was used to identify the shared biological network between the two disorders. The results of the analysis revealed 34 common genes between the two disorders, the most important of which were CACNA1C, GRIA1, DRD2, NOS1, SLC18A1, HTR2A and DRD1. Dopaminergic synapse and cAMP signaling pathway as the pathways, dopamine binding and dopamine neurotransmitter receptor activity as the molecular functions, dendrite and axon part as the cellular component and cortex and striatum as the brain regions were the most significant commonalities. Short conclusion The results of this study highlight the role of multiple systems, especially the dopaminergic system in linking OCD and BD. The results can be used to estimate the disease course, prognosis, and treatment choice, particularly in the cases of comorbidity. Such perspectives, going beyond symptomatic level, help to identify common endophenotypes between the disorders and provide diagnostic and therapeutic approaches based on biological in addition to the symptomatic level.

Objective: Neuropsychological findings in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are mainly clustered around the role of memory and executive functions. However, outcomes vary across different OCD populations. In addition, the extent to which each of these factors can distinguish patients with OCD (PwOCD) from healthy individuals remains uncertain and attracts great attention. The present study aims to investigate the above issues. Method: This was a cross-sectional study of 182 individuals (90 PwOCD and 92 matched healthy controls). After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, the participants were administered neuropsychological tests including, the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT). Data were analyzed to test the study hypotheses using comparison of means and regression analysis methods. Results:The results showed that PwOCD had poorer performance than the control group in Immediate Memory, General Memory, and Working Memory and also according to response inhibition indexes. The results also showed that General Memory and Reaction Time2 from the SCWT index could be predictive variables for discriminating between PwOCD and controls. Conclusion:The findings of this study support the prior assumptions that PwOCD would have impaired memory dimensions and response inhibition, but did not support worse set-shifting performance. We also present an initial model for the predictive role of these neuropsychological variables in discriminating OCD from healthy individuals and increasing diagnostic accuracy.

BackgroundOpiate abuse in males has significant effects on their sexual functions. In contrast, sexuality in females is a multidimensional issue that can strongly be affected by several factors in their partners. However, only a limited number of studies have assessed the role of males’ opioid dependency in their female partners’ sexual function.ObjectivesThe present study aimed to evaluate the effect of males’ opioid dependency on their wives’ sexual function compared to the sexual function of the females whose husbands were not opioid dependent.Patients and MethodsThis study included 340 women who were selected through convenience sampling and divided into a control (females whose husbands were not opioid dependent) and a case group (women whose husbands were opioid dependent). The data were collected through an interview according to the DSM-IV-R criteria for female sexual dysfunctions by a senior female medical student who was one of the researchers. Finally, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (v. 15) and analyzed using the t-test and chi-square test.ResultsAccording to the results, the frequency of hypoactive sexual desire disorder and sexual aversion disorder in the control group was significantly higher than that of the case group (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe results showed that having an addicted husband could strongly affect some sexual domains in women. It could change the pattern of desire and motivation for sexual contact in females and alter their attitude toward the sexual relationship, thereby causing disturbances in the females’ normal sexual function.

Background Previous studies have emphasized the role of genetic components in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and cognitive functions. One of the most controversial markers in this area is the COMT rs4680 polymorphism. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of rs4680 on susceptibility to OCD and cognitive functions with respect to the moderating role of sex. Methods The subjects included 127 patients with OCD and 145 healthy controls. Genotyping was carried out by ARMS-PCR. The subjects underwent cognitive evaluations using the Wechsler Memory Scale-III. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 and R package software. Results The results showed a significantly higher frequency of the AA genotype in the OCD group than in the healthy control group. Cognitive assessments showed weaker Immediate Memory and General Memory performance in the patients with OCD than in the control group. No significant association was found between rs4680 and memory dimensions in the total sample, whereas analysis by sex revealed a significant association of rs4680 with Working Memory only in females. Conclusions The results of this study confirm previous findings about the association of the AA genotype with OCD. These findings also corroborate previous assumptions about impaired episodic memory in patients with OCD. Moreover, the association of rs4680 with Working Memory only in females endorses the hypothesis of the sexual dimorphism of the effects of this COMT gene polymorphism.