Mental health intervention in Bam earthquake crisis: A qualitative study

Background: Mental health needs to increase in disasters and this study assesses the basic and mental health needs and delivered services during the first month after Bam (Iran) earthquake disaster in year 2004. Methods: Thirty Five mental health professionals and experts were involved in mental health care and interventions for survivors in Tehran general hospitals and in the Bam, were participated in a focus group qualitative study, and finding analyzed after coding from tape recorder. Results: The primary and immediate needs of survivors were: water, food, shelter, security, finding family members, treating and helping injured ones, respect and good relationship by others, and information and news about disaster and others. Second and long time needs and services were the previous needs and services and also immediate starting the daily routine activities, opening schools and workplaces, participating in community services and resettlement or housing. Lack of previous program and inadequate services are discussed in the paper. Conclusion: It is the first time in Iran survivors get immediate mental health intervention in disaster, but based on finding and the survivors needs, and the problems reported in services were delivered, the study proposes a new mental health intervention program in natural disaster for Iran. © 2008, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Effectiveness of spiritual group therapy on quality of life and spiritual well-being among patients with breast cancer

Cancer is deemed the century�s major health problem, and its increasing growth during the last decades has made experts concerned more than ever. Of all types of cancer, breast cancer is regarded as the second most common disease among women. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of spiritual group therapy on quality of life and spiritual well-being among patients suffering from breast cancer. The present research was carried out between March and June 2011. The sample consisted of 24 participants randomly assigned to 2 groups: an experimental group (n, 12) and a control group (n,12). All the subjects completed questionnaires on quality of life and spiritual well-being in pretest and posttest. The experimental group received 12 sessions of spiritual group therapy. The results demonstrated improvement in quality of life and spiritual well-being in the experimental group. In conclusion, spiritual group therapy can be used to improve quality of life and spiritual well-being (religious health and existential health) among patients with breast cancer. © 2016, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Responsibility attitude in a sample of Iranian obsessive-compulsive patients

Background: The study of distorted beliefs about responsibility attitude and interpretation has become the central theme in Salkovskis' (1985) and Rachman and Hodgson's (1980) models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Aims: The aim of this research is to assess the responsibility attitude in Iranian OCD patients. Methods: Twenty OCD patients were selected through available sampling from the case referred to psychology clinics. Two other patient groups comprised of 20 non-OCD anxiety disorder patients and 20 non-clinical participants were also chosen as comparison groups. All participants completed the Responsibility Attitude Scale (RAS) and Responsibility Interpretation Questionnaire (RIQ). Results: Analyses revealed statistically significant differences between OCD group and comparison groups on both RAS and RIQ. In addition, both RAS and RIQ scores were associated with the severity of OCD assessed by the Yale-Brown scale. Conclusions: These findings suggest that responsibility attitude and interpretations are the prominent features of OCD in Iranian patients and are associated with the severity of illness. Copyright © 2005 Sage Publications

Spiritual care for cancer patients in Iran

Background: Studies have shown that a return to spirituality is a major coping response in cancer patients so that therapists can adopt a holistic approach by addressing spirituality in their patient care. The present study was conducted to develop a guideline in the spiritual field for healthcare providers who serve cancer patients in Iran. Materials and Methods: Relevant statements were extracted from scientific documents that through study questions were reviewed and modified by a consensus panel. Results: The statements were arranged in six areas, including spiritual needs assessment, spiritual care candidates, the main components of spiritual care, spiritual care providers, the settings of spiritual care and the resources and facilities for spiritual care. Conclusions: In addition to the development and preparation of these guidelines, health policy-makers should also seek to motivate and train health service providers to offer these services and facilitate their provision and help with widespread implementation

A predictor model for suicide attempt: Evidence from a population-based study

Background: There is an extreme need for planning to prevent suicide in developing countries. It is necessary to detect the risk factors of this problem and plan to control them. The aim of this study was to determine a predictive model for suicide attempt based on its risk factors in order to give information for planning therapeutic, preventive, and educational interventions in Karaj City. Methods: The setting was Karaj City, Tehran Province, Iran and the study design was cross-sectional. In this study, data were collected by using the World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire of SUPRE-MISS study. The questionnaire included questions about demographic characteristics, personal and family history of suicide behaviors, use of psychotropic drugs, physical and mental disorders, and community stress. All parts of the questionnaire were filled out by interview. A total of 2300 individuals participated in this study having considered the 1.2 prevalence of suicide attempt in the pilot study, and with type one error rate of 5, the sample size was calculated as 2300. Results: About 65 of the participants were females. Most of the participants had high-school education (48) and 57.2 of them were married. Housewives included most of the occupation categories (46). The mean age of the suicide aftempters and nonattempters was 26 (±9) and 32 (±13) years, respectively. This difference was statistically significant. Younger age, female sex, history of mental disorders, lifelong use of tobacco and alcohol, and unemployment were the independent predictors of suicide attempt. Conclusion: Prevention of suicide is possible by understanding its risk factors and planning to control them

Performance analysis and life cycle assessment of acrylic concrete structures for rainwater harvesting

This study investigates the viability of acrylic concrete (AC) tanks as an alternative rainwater harvesting (RWH) material through structural, water quality, and global warming impact data &ndash; focusing on material reuse and availability for sustainable communities. The mechanical testing evaluated the flexural strength of AC mixtures made with varying dosages of acrylic paint, Portland cement, and sand. The results identified mechanically viable AC mixtures and the largest flexural strength value was observed in the mixture with 20% Portland cement and 80% acrylic paint by weight at 28-days with a modulus of rupture of 266&nbsp;psi. The water quality tests measured the water quality of tanks built with AC mixtures and the results identified the presence of total and fecal coliforms, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and benzoic acid. Measured inorganic compounds were below the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water. The life cycle assessment of different AC mixtures as compared to other common RWH tank materials indicated that the AC RWH tank performs the best when acrylic paint is treated as a waste product (73&nbsp;kg CO2e/m3) while RWH systems made of steel drums show the highest global warming impact (827&nbsp;kg CO2e/m3) compared to high-density polyethylene drums (79&nbsp;kg CO2e/m3). These results suggest the viability of AC mixtures in water infrastructure such as RWH tanks to conserve resources and reduce pollution. The study concludes with takeaway benefits and constraints regarding the use of AC RWH tanks. &nbsp;</p

Integrating a suicide prevention program into the primary health care network: A field trial study in Iran

Objective. To describe and evaluate the feasibility of integrating a suicide prevention program with Primary Health Care services and evaluate if such system can improve screening and identification of depressive disorder, reduce number of suicide attempters, and lower rate of suicide completion. Methodology. This was a quasi-experimental trial in which one community was exposed to the intervention versus the control community with no such exposure. The study sites were two counties in Western Iran. The intervention protocol called for primary care and suicide prevention collaboration at different levels of care. The outcome variables were the number of suicides committed, the number of documented suicide attempts, and the number of identified depressed cases. Results. We identified a higher prevalence of depressive disorders in the intervention site versus the control site (� 2 = 14.8, P < 0.001). We also found a reduction in the rate of suicide completion in the intervention region compared to the control, but a higher prevalence of suicide attempts in both the intervention and the control sites. Conclusion. Integrating a suicide prevention program with the Primary Health Care network enhanced depression and suicide surveillance capacity and subsequently reduced the number of suicides, especially in rural areas. © 2015 Seyed Kazem Malakouti et al

To explore identifying the influencing factors of divorce in Tehran

Background & Objectives: The aim of this explorative study was to identify influencing factors as main causes of divorce among couples in Tehran Methods: Three hundred persons from family court of Justice participated from March 2006 to March 2007 in this study. Structured interviews in addition a standard questionnaire were employed. Results: The results indicated that the most causes were psychological factors (96.3), socio-cultural factors (87.3), sex problems (88), economic factors (80.3) and violence (84.3) in participatnts. Conclusion: Premarital counseling suggested for couples to prevent divorce in Iranian community

Effectiveness of brief intervention and contact for suicide attempters: A randomized controlled trial in five countries

Objective: To determine whether brief intervention and contact is effective in reducing subsequent suicide mortality among suicide attempters in low and middle-income countries. Methods: Suicide attempters (n = 1867) identified by medical staff in the emergency units of eight collaborating hospitals in five culturally different sites (Campinas, Brazil; Chennai, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran; and Yuncheng, China) participated, from January 2002 to October 2005, in a randomized controlled trial to receive either treatment as usual, or treatment as usual plus brief intervention and contact (BIC), which included patient education and follow-up. Overall, 91 completed the study. The primary study outcome measurement was death from suicide at 18-month follow-up. Findings: Significantly fewer deaths from suicide occurred in the BIC than in the treatment-as-usual group (0.2 versus 2.2, respectively; �2 = 13.83, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: This low-cost brief intervention may be an important part of suicide prevention programmes for underresourced low-and middle-income countries

Management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: A national clinical guideline

One of the best approaches for evidence-based care is providing and using the guidelines. Observing these guidelines results in a better quality of health care, decreased unnecessary or harmful interventions, lower health costs, and an increase in patients� satisfaction. Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-1 in children and adolescents is a guideline published after 6 years of research and review of resources in the domain of treatment of ADHD. A research team formed in Iran University of Medical Sciences provided this guideline by addressing reliable references and observing a scientific approach. This guideline is provided with respect to the present resources for the standard treatment of ADHD in our country. To prepare this guideline, this research team considered the most recent and strict version of the writing method in the treatment section of Health, Treatment, and Education Ministry. Although the present guideline has some shortcomings, it is a turning point in the history of the development of health care. It presents a systematic approach in the treatment of such disorder, one of the most prevalent disorders in child psychiatry. The colleagues and treatment centers can help such an issue by applying this guideline. © 2020, Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved