Psychiatric, psychological and behavioral problem in Egyptian and Saudi adolescent orphans: a comparative study

To determine psychiatric, behavioral andpsychological problems in Egyptian and Saudi adolescent living in orphanages in a comparative study. 50 Saudi adolescent orphans [25 boys and 25 girls] and 50 Egyptian adolescent orphans [25 boys and 25 girls], 50 controls Saudi and 50 controls Egyptian psychiatrically free adolescent were also randomly selected. Psychiatric and psychological assessment using: complete psychiatric sheet, psychometry for psychopathy and aggression, ego strength, rigidity, locus of control, and SAKS which included Sexual Deviation, Relation with others, Negative attitude toward institutions, and Abnormal Behaviour. [44%] of girls and [44%] of boys showed Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD]. Also,[40%] of Egyptian boys and girls showed ADD. There was a statistically significant difference between orphans and controls Saudi girls regarding all items of psychological assessment. Orphans and control Saudi boys showed a statistically significant difference for ego strength, psychopathy, sexual deviation, and negative attitude toward home, abnormal behaviour and relation with others. There was a statistically significant difference between orphans and controls Egyptian girls and boys regarding all items of psychological assessment except for locus of control. Egyptian and Saudi orphan boys differed in all items of psychological assessment except for rigidity. Egyptian and Saudi orphan girls differed in for ego strength, sexual deviation, and negative attitude toward home, abnormal behaviour and relation with others. Saudi and Egyptian adolescent orphans showed psychiatric, psychological and behavioural problems, ADHD was the highest psychiatric diagnosis in both Saudi and Egyptian orphans, Orphans had disturbances in ego strength, psychopathy, sexual deviation, locus of control, negative attitude toward others, abnormal behavior and relation with others. There was cultural related difference in psychometric assessment for orphans

Nicotine reliance in schizophrenic and bipolar disorder patients: a comparative study

We aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and the severity of nicotine reliance in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and find the relationship between smoking status and some sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. A sample of consecutive admissions of all patients with schizophrenia [n=70] and bipolar disorder [n=46] admitted to psychiatric units of a private hospital over a period of three months was recruited. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM-IV. Demographic and clinical data were collected. The total sample [n=116, male 75.9%] was assessed as regards the cigarette smoking status and the age of initiation of smoking. For the smokers, the severity of nicotine reliance was assessed using the Fagerstrom tolerance scale. A control group [n30] smokers, who were age and sex matched with the case smokers, were assessed for the severity of nicotine dependence. 58.6% of patients with schizophrenia were smokers [60% of them were dependent] compared to 32.6% of patients with bipolar disorder 938.5% were dependent]. In the total case sample, smokers differed significantly from non smokers as regards the diagnosis, sex and history of substance abuse and their age of initiation of smoking correlated with the age of onset of the disorder. 83.6% of cases that were current smokers initiated smoking at or before the onset of the disorder [72.7% before]. Schizophrenia smokers initiated smoking significantly earlier than control smokers denoting severer nicotine reliance but there were no significant difference between schizophrenia and bipolar smokers on the scale score. Nicrotine reliance is higher in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared to normal controls. Factors that is higher in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared to normal controls. Factors that influence cigarette smoking in psychiatric patients include diagnosis, sex and history of substance abuse. Age of initiation of smoking may be related to the onset of the disorder

Prevalence study of psychiatric morbidity in a sample of adolescents in secondary schools in new Damietta City-Egypt

Few studies have estimated the psychiatric morbidity among adolescents in secondary schools in Egypt. The objectives of this study were to describe such disorders, identify those students with problems, and evaluate the relationship between their problems and some variables related to them. From September 2008 till April 2009. The study was done on 542 students [263 male [48.5%1 and 279 female [51.5%J], age range 15-18 years; those in urban 333 [61.4%] while in rural area 209 [38.61 with exclusion of deaf and blind. The researcher used Child and Adolescent behavior checklist, General health Questionnaire [GHQ], Clinical interview. Students with+ve score on GHQ were clinically interviewed, and the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders were done according to the diagnostic and statistically manual of mental disorder fourth version revised version [DSM IV TR]. About [22%] of Secondary school adolescents suffers from one or more of the psychiatric disorders as follows; Depression 21.4%, ADHD 15.9%, GAD 12.6% Adjustment disorder 12.6%, OCD 9.5%, conduct disorder 6.3%, Oppositional deviant dis. 5.6%, Separation anxiety dis. and Motor tics 4.8%, nocturnal enuresis 3.9%, social phobia 2.7%, no one complained of drug abuse or psychotic dis. The following socio demographic risk factors are statistically correlated to the psychiatric morbidity, age, sex, number of brothers, economic status and place of living. The mental health of Secondary school adolescents should be assessed, as they may be at risk for mental health problems. Preventive and therapeutic interventions are recommended

Measurement psychiatric stigma in a general hospital in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study is to measure the stigma of psychiatric illness in a general hospital setting, and to test the connection between common ideas people have of patients with psychiatric illness [personal responsibility, and dangerousness], and the generation of discriminatory behavior. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in all the hospital staff of king Abdulaziz Hospital in Al-Ashsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Questionnaire was distributed on the 1[st] of February, and the study was finished on the 12[th] of March 2008. The sample size of 860 staff members was included for the study. Hospital staff had high scores [6.8/9] for caring attitude for patients with psychiatric illness. They had medium scores for fear [4/9], avoidance [4.8/9], and dangerousness [4.3/9]. They had low scores [3.1/9] for anger feelings toward these patients. Discriminatory behavior was found to be the result of feeling that these patients are dangerous, but not because they were held responsible for their illness. Our staff had a caring attitude towards patients with psychiatric illness. The idea that the patients with psychiatric illness are to blame for their illness did not hold, while the idea that these patients are dangerous showed positive relationship with discriminatory behavior

Concordance of relapse and stage progression with angiogenesis, P53, PCNA and DNA ploidy in low-grade superficial transitional cell carcinoma of urinary bladder: a clinicopathological study

The present study was undertaken to evaluate some molecular pathologic parameters as prognostic factors in low-grade superficial urinary bladder carcinoma. Twenty cases of low-grade [G1/G2] and superficial [T1] transitional cell carcinoma were included in this study with a follow up period of 30 months. A recurrence was noticed in 14 cases, while 6 cases showed no recurrences. Among the recurrent tumors, six patients developed subsequent muscle invasion and subjected to radical cystectomy. A total of 71 paraffin blocks were available for the study from the initial as well as the recurrences. They were submitted to microvessel count, using factor VIII related antigen, p53 expression, PCNA immunoreactivity and DNA ploidy, using CAS 200-image cytometer