Tobacco smoking is common among psychiatric patients, a finding consistent with similar studies conducted in different parts of the world. Assessment of smoking status and its associated adverse health associations among patients with mental disorders is of paramount importance.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to quantify the degree of non-adherence to medications among patients with mental health disorders attending a psychiatry clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman.Methods: All patients attending the psychiatry clinic during the study period were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Demographic data and factors related to medication adherence were gathered from the participants. The level of adherence to medication was measured using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS).Results: A total of 251 patients were included in this study. The average MARS score was 5.7, indicating an overall poor level of compliance. Having an educational level of secondary school, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, having had a mental health condition for a longer time, previous history of admission to a psychiatry unit, lack of insight and poor therapeutic alliance were found to be significantly association with low level of adherence to psychiatric medications.Conclusions: Non-adherence to medications is common among patients with mental health disorders. In order to mitigate the impact of medication non-adherence in a psychiatric setting, appropriate interventions are recommended to address and manage the factors related to poor medication adherence.

Choosing a future medical speciality is considered one of the most critical challenges for undergraduate students worldwide. The present study assessed the influences and factors related to medical students career choices in Saudi Arabia. The study was designed in a cross-sectional manner to collect data from all undergraduate medical students and interns in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 5 months, starting from September 2021 and ending in January 2022. The questionnaire was completed by 1725 medical students and interns aged 18 to 30 with a mean age of 24.2 ± 4.6 years, and 64.6% were females. In all, 50.4% of respondents reported that they had received advice from others on their chosen speciality, and 89% of respondents indicated that they were interested in working in a specialized field after graduation. The most influencing factors for choosing medical specialities are job safety, creative ability, dealing with a variety of patients and monthly income (69.6%, 63.7%, 62.4%, 58.9%), respectively. Additionally, the study showed that gender plays a significant role ( P = .001) for medical students and interns in their choice of speciality, whereas pediatrics was the top choice for female students (12%), and medicine was the most popular choice for male students (14.1%). A student’s lower grade point average, the lower average monthly income of their family, lack of working relative in the healthcare field and absence of advice about future specialities are all significant predictors for stopping specialities endeavor. Our study concluded that students career choices depend on different factors, including gender based preferences and that their specialized preferences did not change considerably prior to or after graduation. Further studies are required to analyze the factors influencing student and intern speciality preferences in their early clinical and career years.

Introduction: Vaccines are an important part of the COVID-19 pandemic response plan. This study was undertaken to find out the percentage of supporters in the Saudi population for COVID-19 vaccination among children, and to assess the study population’s perceptions towards COVID-19 vaccination among children. Material and Methods: This nationwide study adopted a cross-sectional survey of adult participants, conducted by trained medical students. The anonymous questionnaire was published on social media tools. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-tailed tests. Results: Six hundred and twenty (620) participants were recruited for this study. Nearly 17.0% of participants had a chronic health problem/comorbidity. About 28.7% of the study participants reported having COVID-19 infection. The COVID-19 vaccine was received among 94.7% of the study respondents. The majority of the vaccination supporters (89.0%) wanted to get the third dose. There was a statistically significant association between the participant’s attitudes towards getting vaccinated themselves, and their attitude towards children’s vaccination. Vaccine newness, as a reason for hesitating to get vaccinated, was most reported among non-vaccine supporters. False religious beliefs were found to significantly influence the opposing attitude towards children’s vaccination. Conclusion: Health professionals and policy makers should implement and support strategies to ensure children are vaccinated against COVID-19. They also need to educate parents and families regarding the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.

55Prodromal schizophrenia is the initial phase of disturbance prior to the full-blown psychotic picture. It comprises of various and non-specific symptoms such as affective changes anxiety symptoms, unusual perceptions, obsessions and odd beliefs. These manifestations may last from few weeks to several years. Approximately 80%-90% of schizophrenic patients experience the prodrome 1 . However, only 30%-40% of people with prodromal stage convert to florid manifestations of schizophrenia 2 . Many studies of prodromal stage schizophrenia confirm the value of early psychosis intervention.The relation between OCD or OCS and schizophrenia is discussed thoroughly across different stages of schizophrenia except for prodromal phase where limited studies were found. The prevalence of this particular association varies largely from 2.7% to 36.9% for OCS and from 1.5 to 30% for OCD 3,4,5 . The studies had conflicting results regarding the possible transition to psychosis among the ultra-high-risk population with positive OCD/OCS versus negative counterparts 6 .The aim of this report is to present a case of OCD with detailed and intrusive mental images, which were resolved with antipsychotic medications. THE CASEA sixteen-year-old male student presented with six months history of recurrent and intrusive images with disturbing/ frightening content associated with fearfulness and decreased socialization. The patient would see himself near a graveyard, trying to run away while being chased by dead people and feeling extremely terrified. These images come episodically daily (4-7 episodes per day) lasting approximately 2-3 minutes Prodromal schizophrenia presents with a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). However, this differentiation between a sole diagnosis of OCD and prodromal schizophrenia seems challenging in some settings.We present a sixteen-year-old male with six-months history of recurrent intrusive images and fearfulness, in addition to decreased socialization. He was managed as a case of prodromal schizophrenia and was treated with antipsychotics. His obsessions decreased but he continued to exhibit negative schizophrenia within two years of follow-up. Acknowledging the diversity of prodromal schizophrenia presentations rather than treating symptoms as a cross-sectional diagnosis (especially in high-risk population for psychosis) is crucial for a better management.each and had increased in frequency. They were occasionally triggered by seeing his home from outside in a dark and quiet environment.The episodes have the same sequence of images every time. The patient could not stop the flow of images until entering his own home and closing the gate (a relieving ritual) with initial success to abort these intrusive images but failed later. He does not regard these images as irrational. He denied having any other perceptual experiences apart from seeing monsters attacking him, and occasionally an awful girl crawling over the wall shortly be...