Comparing the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Drug Therapy, and the Combination of These Two Methods in the Treatment of Major Depression

Introduction: A large number of people are afflicted with major depressive disorder, leading to high societal costs. In addition, the treatment remains one of the most challenging and controversial issues in mental health. The main purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), pharmacotherapy, and a blend of the two methods in treating major depressive disorder. Methods: A sample of 60 subjects was selected randomly from the middle-aged patients suffering from major depressive disorder (based on DSM-V criteria) with illness duration of one year that referred to all outpatient clinics of the Modares hospital in Isfahan. The patients were divided into four experimental groups including: acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Drug Therapy, blend of the two aforementioned methods and control group. Statistical analysis was conducted using analysis of covariance. Results: Findings showed a significant difference in terms of depression among the three treatment groups. While the mean scores of depression in the posttest were 44.60 for the control group, the results for pharmacotherapy, ACT and combination group were 17.66, 26.53 and 15.13 respectively (p˂0.05). Discussion: Although, Pharmacotherapy and combined treatment are more effective than ACT alone, the combination of ACT and pharmacotherapy is the most effective with longer-lasting results in the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder in middle-aged Iranian patients. Declaration of Interest: None

COVID-19: Is There Evidence for the Use of Herbal Medicines as Adjuvant Symptomatic Therapy?

Background: Current recommendations for the self-management of SARS-Cov-2 disease (COVID-19) include self-isolation, rest, hydration, and the use of NSAID in case of high fever only. It is expected that many patients will add other symptomatic/adjuvant treatments, such as herbal medicines. Aims: To provide a benefits/risks assessment of selected herbal medicines traditionally indicated for “respiratory diseases” within the current frame of the COVID-19 pandemic as an adjuvant treatment. Method: The plant selection was primarily based on species listed by the WHO and EMA, but some other herbal remedies were considered due to their widespread use in respiratory conditions. Preclinical and clinical data on their efficacy and safety were collected from authoritative sources. The target population were adults with early and mild flu symptoms without underlying conditions. These were evaluated according to a modified PrOACT-URL method with paracetamol, ibuprofen, and codeine as reference drugs. The benefits/risks balance of the treatments was classified as positive, promising, negative, and unknown. Results: A total of 39 herbal medicines were identified as very likely to appeal to the COVID-19 patient. According to our method, the benefits/risks assessment of the herbal medicines was found to be positive in 5 cases (Althaea officinalis, Commiphora molmol, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Hedera helix, and Sambucus nigra), promising in 12 cases (Allium sativum, Andrographis paniculata, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Eucalyptus globulus essential oil, Justicia pectoralis, Magnolia officinalis, Mikania glomerata, Pelargonium sidoides, Pimpinella anisum, Salix sp, Zingiber officinale), and unknown for the rest. On the same grounds, only ibuprofen resulted promising, but we could not find compelling evidence to endorse the use of paracetamol and/or codeine. Conclusions: Our work suggests that several herbal medicines have safety margins superior to those of reference drugs and enough levels of evidence to start a clinical discussion about their potential use as adjuvants in the treatment of early/mild common flu in otherwise healthy adults within the context of COVID-19. While these herbal medicines will not cure or prevent the flu, they may both improve general patient well-being and offer them an opportunity to personalize the therapeutic approaches

Association between infertility factors and perceived relationship quality in infertile couples

BACKGROUND: Infertility is a crisis in the life of couples that could affect their relationships. The present study was conducted to evaluate the relation between infertility factors and the quality of marital relationship in infertile couples who were referred to the Fertility and Infertility Center of Isfahan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted cross-sectional on 131 infertile couples who were referred to the Fertility and Infertility Center of Isfahan and had the inclusion criteria and were selected using convenient sampling method. Data gathering tool for the present study was Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC). All the data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance). The level of significance was set at 0.05 for all the statistical tests. RESULTS: The mean score of PRQC for women and men was 84.05 and 88.46, respectively, and their difference was statistically significant. There was a significant relation between the score of PRQC in women (P = 0.028) and men (P = 0.030) with the infertility factor. Results showed that the mean score of perceived quality of different aspects of the marital relationship was significantly lower when the infertility factor was female (P < 0.05). In women aspects of "satisfaction " (P = 0.024) and "commitment " (P = 0.011) and in men aspect of "love " (P = 0.004) from the perceived aspects of relationship had a significant relation with the infertility factor. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived quality of different aspects of marital relationship had a significant relation with infertility factor in infertile couples. Results of the present study showed that when infertility had female causes, the quality of relationship was more affected. Therefore, in infertility counseling, simultaneous counseling for both spouses with emphasis on women, along with treatments, should be considered

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Managers\' Conflict Management Strategies in Selected Hospitals of Karaj

Background: Today, conflict is a common topic that occupies the human thought more than any other issues. On the other hand, use of emotional intelligence and its components leads to effective conflict management. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management strategies among the selected hospitals of Karaj, Iran. Methods: This correlational and cross-sectional study was conducted among the selected hospitals of Karaj in 2017. The sample size consisted of 32 managers at different levels of hospitals selected by census method. Data were collected using the standard questionnaires and analyzed by the descriptive and analytical statistics as well as Spearman correlation using SPSS 19 software. Results: The average score regarding the conflicts management among the managers was 108.3 &plusmn; 20.8 out of 134. The conflict management strategy used more frequently by most of the managers was the non-response strategy with an average score of 51.5 &plusmn; 12.5. Emotional intelligence showed a &quot;good&quot; status with an average of 121.9 &plusmn; 18.7 among the managers of the two hospitals. A significant relationship was also observed between the conflict management strategies and self-concept component of emotional intelligence. Conclusion: The &quot;non-response&quot; strategy was more frequently used by the managers. Some components of the emotional intelligence (self-help) have correlation with the conflict management. So, managers should learn other strategies in the area of conflict management strategies. This in turn, has a positive impact on human resource management and organizational performance improvement. &nbsp