Mental health and well-being in different levels of perceived discrimination

To compare mental health and well- being in different levels of the perceived discrimination among Iranian people living in Tehran. Using multi- stage sampling, 1255 subjects with the average age of 45 years and 9 months [including 672 women and 583 men] were selected and they completed all items of the general health questionnaire [GHQ], the social well- being inventory [SWI], personal well- being inventory [PWI], and a question to assess the perceived discrimination. Data analysis by Kruskal- Wallis test revealed that there were significant differences between physical symptoms [X[2]=5.93, P<0.05] and depression [X[2]=15.70, P<0.05], the subscales of mental health in different levels of the perceived discrimination. Furthermore, comparing personal well- being scores and its subscales in different levels of the perceived discrimination showed significant differences in personal hygiene [X[2]=7.20, P<0.05], and security in future [X[2]=7.60, P<0.05]. Emotional well- being [X[2]=12.25, P<0.05], self-rule [X[2]=7.45, P<0.05], personal growth [X[2]=19.87, P<0.05], and psychological well- being [X[2]= 9.09, P<0.05] were significantly different in different levels of the perceived discrimination, too. Moreover, comparing social well- being in different levels of the perceived discrimination indicated significant differences between social acceptance [X[2]=14.91, P<0.05], and social participation [X[2]= 10.91, P<0.05]. Therefore, people are more active in society, increases the possibility of encountering with discrimination and consequently the perception of that

[Emotional adjustment in infertile people]

Infertility has mental, social as well as reproductive consequences, among which depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, feelings of guilt, lack of self-esteem, lack of confidence, psychosomatic complaints, obsessions, relationship difficulties and sexual dissatisfaction are evident. Many authors consider the psychological consequences of infertility as responses to grief. The aim of this study was to assess emotional adjustment of infertile couples and psychological outcomes of infertility [depression, anxiety, relationship as well as sexual problems, and personality disorders] in different phases of treatment. The review of literature included most studies in the past 2 decades. Search terms were infertility, pregnancy, depression, anxiety, psychology disorder, marital satisfaction, psychiatric as well as psychology interventions and personality disorders in such data bases as Pub Med, Scholar, Google, Scopus and Amazon. All data were in agreement with articles published earlier than 2006 and almost all of them are accessible. Most studies have found that more than half of the infertile people [women, men, and couples] learn to some extent cope with this problem. High prevalence of psychological disorders [particularly, anxiety and depression] appears as inappropriate emotional adjustment which requires psychiatric and psychotherapeutic interventions

Petal and stigma of Crocus sativus L. in the treatment of depression: a pilot double-blind randomized trial

Stigmas of Crocus sativus L. [Iridaceae], commonly known as saffron, is the world's most expensive spice and apart from its traditional value as food additive recent studies indicate its potential as antidepressant. Because saffron is expensive, using it daily to address depression may not be practical. Moreover, recent study indicated antidepressant effect of petal of Crocus sativus. As petal of Crocus sativus is not expensive compared to stigma, there will be economical interests for further investigations by pharmaceutical industries. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of petal of Crocus sativus with stigma of Crocus sativus in the treatment of depressed outpatients in a 6-week pilot double-blind randomized trial. Forty four adult outpatients who met the DSM- IV criteria for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM- IV participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double-blind and randomized trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive capsule of petal of Crocus sativus 15 mg bid [morning and evening] [Group 1] and capsule of stigma of Crocus sativus 15 mg bid [morning and evening] [Group 2] for a 6-week study. At the end of trial, petal of Crocus sativus was found to be effective similar to stigma of Crocus sativus in the treatment of mild to moderate depression [d.f.=1, F= 0.05, P=0.81]. In addition, in the both treatments, the remission rate was 18%.There were no significant differences in the two groups in terms of observed side effects. The present study is supportive of other studies which show antidepressant effect of petal and stigma of Crocus sativus

Rate of hepatitis B seropositivity following mass vaccination in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Universal vaccination of all neonates against hepatitis B virus has been implemented in the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1993. To evaluate the efficacy of the programme, 2 large seroepidemiologic surveys were conducted before and after mass vaccination on a representative sample of 1/1000 of the population. The overall seropositivity rate showed no significant decline between 1991 and 1999 but in the age group 2-14 years the rates reduced significantly [1.3% versus 0.8%, P < 0.05]. Interestingly, we observed a significantly higher decline in hepatitis B virus carrier rate in rural [1.5% versus 0.6%] than urban areas [1.1% versus 0.9%]. Universal vaccination significantly decreased the carrier rate among young children in this country

Survey on the Personality and Intellectual Characteristics of Transsexuals in Iran

The present research on the personality and intellectual characteristics of transsexuals is the first study carried out in Iran. In this research all transsexuals applying for sexual transformation to the Forensic Medicine Center in Tehran during 1991-1993 were interviewed. They were examined and evaluated psychologically by MMPI [Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory] and adults Raven's progressive matrices. The transsexuals taking part in this study consisted of 36 males and 8 females. The control group was identical to the study group regarding number, sex, age and education. The findings indicated a significant statistical difference between females in the two groups in their degree of hysteria and psychopathic deviation in MMPI. Between men in the two groups a significant statistical difference was observed in their degree of psychopathic deviation, infrequency scale and paranoia measured by MMPI. Regarding their intelligence quotient no considerable difference was found between the subjects and controls