Temperament and Character traits in Bipolar “I” inpatients with and without substance abuse

Background: Bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness, affects a large number of people. They showed some differences in temperament and character traits in compared with healthy population. Moreover, they are prone to substance abuse. The aim of the study is comparing Temperament and Character traits in Bipolar “I” inpatients with and without substance abuse.Methods: In this Descriptive Cross-Sectional study, we recruited 228 patients with the diagnosis of bipolar I disorder by SCID-I. Patients’ temperament and character traits were assessed by Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire.Results: Novelty seeking showed significant differences between the groups with and without substance abuse or dependency. Logistic regression model showed that novelty-seeking score significantly correlated with substance abuse in-patient with bipolar disorder.Conclusion: Our findings indicated that novelty seeking is a major risk factor for substance abusing in bipolar patient

Zār Spirit Possession in Iran and African Countries: Group Distress, Culture-Bound Syndrome or Cultural Concept of Distress?

Zār is the term used to describe a form of spirit possession common in northern African, eastern African, and some Middle-Eastern societies. Although these regions share some cultural similarities arising from their history of slavery, in these places, zār varies in prevalence, clinical characteristics, and social context. Based on a selective review of the literature, this paper looks at the place of zār spirit possession in both DSM-IV and DSM-V; it also examines how zār is manifested in Iran and in African countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt; and it aims to provide practical information to mental health clinicians so that they can better understand how this cultural concept is practiced by Iranians and Middle Eastern and African immigrants living near the Persian Gulf coast

A Persian translation of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition: psychometric properties.

The aim of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of a Persian translation of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) through a multicenter study in a clinical population in Iran

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID Persian Translation and Cultural Adaptation):

"nObjective: To translate the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axisI "ndisorders (SCID-I) into Persian (Farsi) and to adapt this instrument for the "nIranian culture. "nMethod: The SCID was translated into Persian using an elaborate procedure to "nachieve a satisfactory cross-cultural equivalent. This included forward "ntranslation by bilingual (English/Persian) translators, discussion and revision of "nthe translation in an expert panel of bilingual mental health professionals, pilot "nassessment on a small sample of Persian-speaking patients, back-translation "ninto English and comparison with the original SCID. In addition, "nunderstandability and acceptability of the translated items were assessed in 299 "npatients in three psychiatric hospitals in Tehran, Iran. "nResults: Some adaptations were made to bring about cross-cultural "ncomparability, especially with regard to conceptual differences which led to "ndifficulties in transferring some psychiatric concepts from English to Persian. "nThe SCID questions were generally understandable and acceptable for the "nIranian patients. "nConclusion: The SCID was translated into Persian in a multi-stage process to "nensure a satisfactory cross-cultural equivalent