Comparing attitudes of medical practitioners and allied medical professionals towards mental illness and patients with mental health disorders in Jordan

The study is aimed to compare the attitudes of medical practitioners and allied medical professionals, other than mental health workers, towards mental illness, mental health services and their patients in Jordan and to recommend a strategy to reduce the stigma, which represents an additional burden on patients with mental health problems and their families. We collected views of 300 medical practitioners and 300 allied medical professionals, from different hospitals in the Jordanian Royal Medical Services concerning stigma. One hundred seventy six medical practitioners compared to one hundred fifty one allied medical professionals considered mental illnesses to be a medical problem like diabetes or hypertension with a statistically significant difference [p<0.001]. A fair number of allied medical professionals believed that mental illness is a type of madness [n=69] or a possession by a demon [n=60], and that mentally ill patients are dangerous and impulsive [n=140] compared to 29, 23, and 99 medical practitioners respectively with statistically significant differences [p<0.0005, 0.00002, 0.002] in that order. One hundred forty five medical practitioners compared to 115 allied medical professionals thought that the public does not trust the treatment provided by psychiatrists and other mental health workers with a statistically significant difference [p<0.0007]. Allied medical professionals believed the media helped to reduce stigma of mental illness in contrast to the medical professionals which thought that it did not. The majority felt the need for an increase in public awareness of mental illness and wish to participate in mental health campaigns to support mental health development in Jordan. Health care professionals at all levels are still carrying negative attitude towards mental health services and their patients in Jordan

No relation between advanced parental age and the risk of autism among Jordanian children

To examine the relationship between advancing parental age, at the time of conception of offspring, and their risk of autism in Jordan. A multicenter descriptive correlational study, conducted in the period between the 1[st] of August 2010 and the 1[st] of January 2011. We included all registered cases of Autism in eleven specialized centers dealing with autistic children, recognized by The National Council for Family Affairs, The Ministry of Education, and The Ministry of Social Affairs, from Irbid in the north to Aqaba in the south. In the present study, we investigated the association of autism with parental age in 229 autism cases from Jordan. Patients were fulfilling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10[th] Revision criteria for the diagnosis of autism. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 10 programs were used to analyze the data; Non-Parametric tests; chi[2] test, and frequencies were applied to analyze the relation between parental age at the time of conception and the risk of autism. Statistically significant results were those with a P-value < 0.05. There was no significant increase in the risk of autism with advancing parental age. Moreover, Autism was more frequent in the offspring of parents aged [25-35] years at the time of conception. In the majority of cases 127/229 [55.46%], paternal age at the time of conception ranked in the age group of [25-35] years old, chi[2] = 181.463, df = 3, which was found to be of highly statistical significance with a P-value of < 0.0001. Maternal age at the time of conception also ranked in the age group of [25-35] years, 134/229 [58.51%], chi[2] = 71.642, df = 2, it was highly statistically significant with a P-value of < 0.0001. No relation between advanced parental age and the occurrence of Autism. Moreover, Autism was more frequent in parents who were aged less than 35 years old at the time of conception

Psychosis in a patient with Usher syndrome: a case report

The present report is the case of a 26-year-old man, born with Usher syndrome. The patient had had a significant hearing impairment since birth and had developed retinitis pigmentosa. He had originally been diagnosed with a depressive disorder and treated with antidepressants, with no subsequent improvement in his mental state. Following a deterioration in his mental state he was admitted for reassessment at the Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Birmingham, and antidepressants were stopped. It subsequently became apparent from observations, interviews with the patient and information from the patient's carers and relatives that he had a psychotic illness. Treatment was started with the antipsychotic drug risperidone, after which he showed significant improvement. The association between Usher syndrome and psychosis is discussed

Deafness and paranoid symptoms: Prevalence and etiology

The possible association between deafness and paranoid symptoms is an area of debate for many years. In this brief discussion we will show how it is difficult to conduct a research in this field. Also we will show that deafness solely as a causal factor for paranoid symptoms is most likely mistaken. It was found that the neurotic forms of mental disorders are much more common than paranoia in such a population. The consideration of the whole situation, which includes, psychological, social, and more significant any underlying organic cause, is an important factor in assessing a deaf patient who presents with paranoid symptoms

Prevalence and long-term impact of child sexual abuse among a sample of male college students in Jordan

The prevalence of the contact form of child sexual abuse [CSA] among a sample of male college students in Jordan was examined. The relationship between CSA and adult mental health was also assessed. The experiences of 100 male college students 18-20 years of age were assessed individually with two questionnaires, the Arabic version of the General Health Questionnaire and the Arabic translation of a self-administered questionnaire for the contact form of CSA. Regarding prevalence, 27% of the students had a history of CSA before 14 years. Those who had experienced CSA had more mental health problems than those who had not