Psychosocial and Clinical Profiles of the Cases Visiting the Emergency Department Due to Accidental Self-harm and Suicide Attempts in Doha, Qatar: A Retrospective Study

The aims of this study were to retrospectively assess the profiles of subjects with suicide attempts and self-harm in Doha, Qatar; and whether the available data were complete. We reviewed all the records of fatal and non-fatal suicides together with accidental self-ham cases seen in the major Emergency Department in Doha, over a one-year period. There was 37 completed suicide, mostly male expatriates in mid 30 s who died by hanging. In cases with suicide intent (N = 270), more males were admitted to Psychiatry than women. Overdose was the common method and the majority had mood disorders. In self-harm cases with no suicide intent (N = 150) the majority were not seen by Psychiatry. The profiles of suicide cases in Qatar are similar to those reported internationally. However, there is a major need to establish a comprehensive system to register and assess all self-harm patients in Qatar.Other Information Published in: Community Mental Health Journal License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00650-3</p

Frequency table and forest plot for suicidal behaviors in psychosis meta-analysis.

<p>Frequency table and forest plot for suicidal behaviors in psychosis meta-analysis.</p

Trim-and-fill plot.

<p>Trim-and-fill plot.</p

Flow-diagram for screening of articles.

<p>Flow-diagram for screening of articles.</p

Self-Reported Sleep and Exercise Patterns in Patients with Schizophrenia: a Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Adequate sleep and physical activity have been linked to the overall well-being of both medical and psychiatric patients. Patients with schizophrenia have shown abnormal sleep patterns and decreased physical activity that were linked to their psychopathology and physical health. These phenomena are not studied yet in Arab patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study is to study the sleep and exercise patterns in Arab patients with schizophrenia compared with those of healthy controls. A total of 99 patients with schizophrenia and 101 controls were recruited. Arabic versions of sleep, exercise, socio-demographic, and clinical questionnaires were administered as well as the validated scales to measure psychopathology, depression, and suicidality in these participants. The majority of patients with schizophrenia slept more than 8 h per day and exercised less when compared with controls. Sleep quality was worse in those with higher depression score and higher suicidality scores were seen in patients with lower sleep duration. Multinomial regression showed that patients with schizophrenia have higher odds of sleeping more than 8 h even after controlling for the intake of antipsychotics, age, gender, smoking status, and other confounding factors. Our results showed that Arab patients with schizophrenia are at increased risk of having longer sleep duration with inadequate physical activity, which are correlating with worsening of depressive symptoms and suicidality. Thus, more attention should be paid to the changes in sleep patterns and level of exercise when treating Arab patients with schizophrenia.Other Information Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine License: http://www.springer.com/tdmSee article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12529-019-09830-2</p

Cross-Validation of the Arabic Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Module K, for Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and the Arabic Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, version 6, module K (MINI6-Mod-K) is a diagnostic tool to confirm schizophrenia; whereas the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in Schizophrenia (PANSS) is a scale to assess psychotic symptoms severity. The objective of this study was to cross-validate the diagnostic questions (categorical) from the Arabic MINI6-Mod-K with the corresponding items’ scores (dimensional) from Arabic PANSS. Arab subjects (N = 101) were recruited from the Psychiatry Hospital in Qatar. MINI6-Mod-K was used to confirm schizophrenia diagnosis, and PANSS was administered to assess psychopathology by an independent rater. The most common symptoms according to MINI6-Mod-K were the delusions and hallucinations but the PANSS items scores ≥2.5 captured more positive responses on all the diagnostic features of schizophrenia. The cut-off PANSS scores that significantly distinguished between the presence or absence of schizophrenia features on MINI6-Mod-K were mostly between 2.5 and 3.5. Multivariate linear regression showed that negative symptoms and disorganized/catatonic behaviors independently contributed to the PANSS score on positive symptoms subscale. However, none of the symptom questions in the MINI6-Mod-K were significant predictors of the PANSS negative score. Our results showed that there is very good cross-validation between the diagnostic questions of Arabic MINI6-Mod-K and the corresponding positive cut-off scores in Arabic PANSS.Other Information Published in: Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09759-6</p

Principal Component Analysis.

<p>Principal Component Analysis.</p

ROC Curve.

<p>The Arabic CDSS total score with the Arabic BDI-II cutoff score for moderate/ severe depression as gold standard.</p

Demographic Characteristics.

<p>Demographic Characteristics.</p

Calgary Depression Scale for Patients with Schizophrenia (<i>n</i> = 102).

<p>Calgary Depression Scale for Patients with Schizophrenia (<i>n</i> = 102).</p