Use of OSCE in undergraduate assessment of psychiatry at the college of medicine and medical sciences- Arabian Gulf university, Bahrain

The college of Medicine and Medical Sciences [CMMS] at the Arabian Gulf University [AGU] is amongst the first Medical Schools in the Arab World to implement OSCE in Undergraduate assessment of Psychiatry. Despite the matured implementation of OSCE, as a valuable assessment tool, in other medical fields it remains a novelty in terms of its application in Psychiatry. This paper provides a description of assessment methods at CMMS with particular emphasis on the use of OSCE, its content, examination structure, and learning outcomes and conclusions derived from implementation and application of the program. Overarching results indicate that OSCE is a valid and fair test of the immediately relevant abilities relevant to their future careers within the medical field of pratice

[Gender differences in symptoms of schizophrenia]

To determine gender differences in the symptoms and age of onset of schizophrenia in Bahraini patients. 112 Bahraini patients with schizophrenia who were initially involved in a genetic study were selected. The OPCRIT 3.31 checklist was applied as a diagnostic tool. OPCRIT items were analyzed for differences between males and females. No differences were found between males and females in the studied symptoms of schizophrenia and age of onset as "the earliest age at which medical advice was sought for psychiatric reasons or at which symptoms began to cause subjective distress or impair functioning". This finding was found in both the familial and sporadic groups of schizophrenia. Furthermore, OPCRIT was found to be an equally reliable tool in diagnosing schizophrenia in males and females. The above findings were compared and contrasted to the findings of other studies. While there is agreement regarding the lack of gender difference in the prevalence of the studied symptoms of schizophrenia, there is no such consensus regarding the gender difference in the age of onset of schizophrenia. Caution should be taken with studies that make conclusions concerning this issue until a precise operational definition for the onset of the illness is derived

Factors associated with immediate relapse among Bahraini heroin abusers

Demographic characteristics and factors associated with immediate relapse to heroin use among 40 male Bahraini heroin abusers were studied 1 week after discharge from the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit in Bahrain. The mean age of the patients was 32.7 years, the age at which drug abuse began ranged from 12 years to 31 years, and the age range of regular use was 15-37 years. More than half the patients were single, unemployed, unskilled labourers with secondary-school education. The vast majority used heroin intravenously. Negative emotional states and drug-related cues were seen by the majority of the subjects as influential in their immediate relapse after discharge. Findings suggest that the treatment and rehabilitation unit in Bahrain should look into the issues of after-care

Psychiatric morbidity in primary care

The prevalence of hidden psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire [GHQ] and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale [HAD]. A total of 149 Bahraini patients aged > or = 16 years were selected randomly from those attending primary health care centres for problems other than psychiatric illness. The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity using GHQ was 45.1% [cut-off > or = 5] and 27.1% [cut-off > or = 9]. Using the HAD scale, the prevalence was 44.4% [cut-off > or = 8] and 23.6% [cut-off > or = 11]. Psychiatric morbidity was more common in women aged 50-55 years, in divorcees or widows and in lesser educated patients. Either instrument could be used to diagnose psychiatric illness

Levels of disability among the elderly in institutionalized and home-based care in Bahrain

We compared the levels of disability between the elderly admitted to an institution and those cared for at home. Of the 74 elderly people in this study, 56 were institutionalized and 18 were living at home. The Clifton Assessment Procedure for the Elderly [CAPE] was used to assess and compare the behavioural disabilities between the two groups. In addition to their younger age, the home-cared elderly were less incontinent, more social, better communicators and less confused than the institutionalized group, despite the fact that they had more physical disabilities with regard to bathing and walking

Zuclopenthixol versus haloperidol in the initial treatment of schizophrenic psychoses, affective psychoses and paranoid states; a controlled clinical trial

An open-ended controlled clinical trial was carried out on forty-nine patients with mania, acute psychoses or exacerbation of a chronic psychosis to compare zuclopenthixol acetate with haloperidol to determine the efficacy and adverse effects during a six day trial period. Both zuclopenthixol acetate and haloperidol were equally effective in patients with acute psychosis, exacerbation of chronic psychosis and in mania. Zuclopenthixol acetate produced a greater degree of sedation in the initial phase of treatment and caused fewer extrapyramidal side effects than haloperidol,and the patients treated with zuclopenthixol acetate needed less anti-parkinsonian treatment