Frequency and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms/disorders, violence and suicidal in schizophrenic patients

This study determined the prevalence and severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms/disorder [OCS/OCD], aggression and suicidal in schizophrenic patients. Also we compared the prevalence and severity of aggression and suicidal in schizophrenic patients with and without OCS/OCD considering anxiety, depression and substance abuse as confounding factors. During 2007 and 2008, 100 schizophrenic patients were evaluated with Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Spilberger State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Scale for suicide Ideation, and Overt Aggression Scale. OCS/OCD and suicidal attempts were seen in 33%, 10% and 12% of patients respectively. The most common form of aggression was against others [55%], and aggressive obsessions were seen in 10% of the patients. Comparing patients with and without OCS/OCD, there were no significant differences in the severity of schizophrenia, suicidal and overt aggression. The severity of overt aggression was related to the patients' age and education reversely. Also, there was a relationship between their suicidal thoughts and residence in the cities. Conclusions: High rate of aggressive obsessions and lack of relationship between severity of aggression and presence of OCD indicated that these patients did not act on these thoughts. The risk of suicide was more serious in patients living in the cities, and risk of violence was more serious in younger and less educated patients

[Evaluation of the correlation between anxiety, depression and personality traits with immunologic markers [ANCAS] in ulcerative colitis]

Background: many studies have investigated the effects of psychological factors on disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis [UC]. However, the number of studies that have assessed the correlation between immunologic markers of UC and psychological distress are few. Therefore, we designed a study to determine the association between two immuno-biological markers, peripheral/central anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies [c-ANCA and p-ANCA], and depressive symptoms, healthy anxiety and personality traits

Materials and Methods: a total of 108 patients with UC entered the study. P-ANCA and c-ANCA were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and reconfirmed by indirect immunofluorescence. Severity of UC was classified based on Truelove criteria. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression [CES-D] Scale, anxiety symptoms by the Hospital Anxiety Depression [HAD] Scale and personality traits were assessed by the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between p-ANCA/c-ANCA and psychological distress

Results : our results showed that 81.5% of the patients suffered from anxiety, 43.5% suffered from depression and 75% suffered from introvert personality. No patient was positive for p-ANCA. There were 16 patients [14.8%] who tested positive for c-ANCA; 85.2% were negative for c-ANCA. Anxiety was significantly higher in the c-ANCA negative patients

Conclusion: according to our results, only testing negative for c-ANCA correlated with anxiety. However, the high prevalence of anxiety, depression and introversion and their roles in the clinical course and outcomes of the UC shows the need for early psychological intervention in those patients

[Evaluation of antidepressant activities of rose oil and geranium oil in the mouse forced swim test]

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders that results in significant consequences in active population of the society. In traditional manuscripts, there are many indications about the antidepressant effects of rose oil. The purpose of this study was to determine the antidepressant effects of rose oil and geranium oil. All experiments were carried out on male Swiss-Webster mice [25-30 gr]. The antidepressant activities of rose oil and geranium oil were assesed using the forced swim test. In this test, mice were placed into a cylinderical glass [25 cm height, 12 cm in diameter] containing a column of 17 cm of water at 25 +/- 1 degree C. After 30 min [for the injection route] or 2 weeks [for the oral route] of the rose oil and geranium oil administrations, the mice were subjected to forced swimming test for 8 min. Acute subcutaneous [s.c.] injection or chronic oral administration of rose oil and geranium oil significantly decreased the immobility time in the mouse forced swim test. The geranium oil response was biphasic. Pretreatment of animals with amphetamine and nortriptyline also reduced the immobility time. The inhibitory effects elicited by rose oil, geranium oil and amphetamine but not nortriptyline were antagonized by reserpine. The results suggest that the antidepressant activities of rose oil and geranium oil may be mediated through a presynaptic mechanism

[ effect of assertive training on degree of anxiety and assertiveness of nursing students]

Anxiety and assertiveness lead to disorder achievement, destroying intelligence and learning abilities, decreasing thinking attention and declining talents. It causes damages to individuals, family and community. Several therapeutic procedures suggested such as drug therapy for solving anxiety and increasing assertiveness, one of none drug therapy [behavioral therapy] is assertive training. In respect of contradiction of any results in the field of assertive training, we decided to design and carry out the present study. In study of field trial, first, we distributed overt and latent Spilberger's anxiety questioner and Gambrilrichy's assertive questioner among all nursing students of nursing and midwifery department of Nassibeh in Sari by sensus, and a number of sixty students with anxiety ranging were from moderate to severe with low assertiveness were selected, after matching than on the bases of sex, degree of interesting, course of study the degree, anxiety and assertiveness, they are divided in case and control group equally. For case group, assertive training performed during six weeks, once in a week for half an hour and no training is considered for control group. Degree of anxiety and assertiveness of nursing students in control and case group assessed and compaired by the use of couple t-test. Couple t-test's presented that decrease of overt and latent anxiety of nursing students in case group pre and post assertiveness training was significant. [Latent anxiety, t=7.68, overt anxiety, t=4.97, P<0.05] on the bases couple t-test, increase of assertiveness degree in control group in pre and post assertive training was significant compairing to control group [t=-9.93, P<0.05]. Regarding that increasing anxiety and decreasing assertiveness has undesirable effect on job performance, individual achievement and ability and with respecting to usefulness of assertive training procedure in decreasing anxiety and increasing assertiveness, it is suggested that assertive training is used as an on therapeutic procedure for decreasing anxiety and increasing assertiveness for nursing student