[Analysis of Iran's mental health research over 3 decades: a scientometric study]

Objective: To describe the characteristics of Iran’s mental health research articles that are published over a 30-year period

Method: The articles include those concerned with psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience that were published in the national as well as international scientific journals. These articles were drawn from a national database of published research in psychiatry, psychology as well as neuroscience [IranPsych]. For this study, articles were limited to those published in a 30-year period of 1973-2002 [1352-1381 in Persian calendar]

Results: Of a total of 3031 articles published in the 30-year period, 19.8% were published in the international journals. The publication trends showed a marked increase in number over item, especially in the last 5 years. Among research areas, psychology, clinical sciences, and the neurosciences constituted the largest proportions [52.8%, 31.6%, and 13.5%, respectively]. The trend of research areas revealed an upward trajectory for the proportion of neuroscience research and a decline in the proportion of mental health service research. The topic of 38.6% of all articles was in the category of mental disorders, with pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy researches constituting 14.5% and 5.7% of the articles, respectively. Among mental disorders, the largest proportions of the published research were about mood disorders, substance use related disorders, and anxiety disorders. The most commonly used research method was cross-sectional, with experimental designs comprising 15.9% and prospective research accounting for 1%. The preferred places for data collection included hospitals, schools and universities. In more than 90% of the articles there were no references to the funding sources and only 2.1% of the articles were carried out with international collaboration of the authors

Conclusion: The rising trend of mental health research publications shows the significant contribution of nation’s mental health researchers. The results of this study could provide an empirical basis for policy making and strategic planning in mental health research

[Attitudes of opioid dependents and their families in bam toward the effects of addiction on losses and injuries caused by the earthquake]

Objective: In the final days of the year 2003, the earthquake in the Iranian city of Bam, led to the death of more than 30000 of the 200000 inhabitants. The rate of opium abuse, which had been already high among the population in this city caused problems after the earthquake. The objectives of this rapid qualitative study were to assess drug abuse situation and the attitude of drug dependents and their families toward the effects of drug dependency on the injuries and losses imposed by the earthquake

Method: The study was carried out in the city of Bam, one of its nearby villages and 8 hospitals in Tehran and Kerman admitting earthquake victims. A group of 159 people were interviewed, including opioid dependents, their family members, people living in Bam, and service providers

Results: According to more than half of the opioid dependent interviewees, opioid dependency had decreased and according to one third it had increased the effects of injuries and losses due to the earthquake. Half of their relatives believed that opioid dependency had increased injuries and another half believed that it had no effect on their losses and injuries

Conclusion: Considering a great risk of worsening of drug abuse situation in Bam after the earthquake, and the existence of positive and even neutral attitudes toward drugs, it can be anticipated that drug abuse would begin or continue among the survivors. Therefore, there is a great need for interventions that affect peoples’ attitudes toward drugs to achieve prevention and control of substance abuse