A qualitative study to explore views of patients, carers and mental health professionals’ views on depression in Moroccan women

Moroccans make up a large immigrant population but no prior research has been carried out with them. This paper focused on understanding depression and its management among Moroccan women through exploration of their view of the cause, presentation and treatment of depression, as well as that of their carers and mental health professionals. This study was conducted in a Moroccan psychiatric hospital. Data was collected using audiotaped, semi-structured interviews carried out by psychiatrists, lasting 30 minutes. Participants included: (1) outpatients with a diagnosis of depression, (2) relatives of patients and (3) psychiatrists and psychologists. A total of 30 interviews were conducted in French/Arabic and translated into English. The analysis involved NVivo. The results highlight delayed presentations in the majority of patients and physical symptoms of depression with an emphasis on anger. Most patients and relatives ascribed depression to a social problem, with an emphasis on depleted patience. Patients’ expectations of management depicted a bio-psycho-spiritual-social model of illness. Although half of all patients mentioned the evil eye as a potential cause, few saw traditional healers. Patient socioeconomic conditions and insufficient psychological training render psychotherapy an unexploited tool. This study reflects the importance of educating professionals with regards to diagnosis and therapy in non-Western cultures.</p

Toxicovigilance: the misuse of psychotropic drugs in Morocco. Results of a survey conducted in Casablanca

In Morocco, there are very few studies on the use of drugs and even less on psychotropic medicines (MPSYC). In this study we identified the misuse of MPSYC and their sources of supply in order to determine their modes of consumption and also assess the consumers health status. Methods. An anonymous survey of 500 MPSYC consumers was conducted in Casablanca. Data entry and statistical analysis were carried out using SPSS 25.0 software.Results: 500 participants in the survey were poly-drug users of MPSYC with an average of 4.13 ± 0.007 (± SEM) drugs per user. The most misused MPSYC are Clonazepam, Diazepam, Nordazepam and Tramadol with respective prevalences of 96.80%, 82%, 55.60% and 47.80%. A statistical analysis showed that clonazepam (p=0.047) and tramadol (p=0.005) are prevalent in the street market. 54.20% of survey participants use MPSYC once a week while 39.80% of them use it twice a week. The same statistical analysis revealed that taking several MPSYC lead to an increase of ingested doses (p<0.001) and alcohol consumption (p=0.003). 96.40% (n=482) of the participants declared that they had experienced discomfort misusing the medicine

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The global epidemiology of methamphetamine injection: A review of the evidence on use and associations with HIV and other har