Adjuvant administration of probiotic effects on sexual function in depressant women undergoing SSRIs treatment: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Health Data Exchange (2023) it is estimated that 5% of all adults will experience depressive disorder. Amongst the general loss of pleasure and interest in everyday activities that are symptoms of low mood, reduced sexual desire and sexual dysfunction can be particularly overlooked. Human sexuality is complex, but finding solutions based on scientific evidence to limit the symptoms of depressive disorder and the iatrogenic impact of antidepressant treatment to improve this outcome is an important step in promoting psychological health and general wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed is to provide scientific evidence to assess the effect of oral probiotic on sexual function in women with depressive disorder treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in an Iranian population. DESIGN: This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Eligible women were assigned to lactofem plus SSRIs (n = 58) or SSRIs alone (n = 54). In group A, SSRI antidepressants were prescribed together with Lactofem, and in group B, SSRI antidepressants were prescribed alone. Lactofem including Lactobacillus acidophilus 2 × 109 cfu/g, Bifidobacterium bifidus 2 × 109 cfu/g, Lactobacillus rutri 2 × 109 cfu/g, Lactobacillus fermentum 2 × 109 cfu/g; capsule weight of 500 mg bio-capsule administered orally and daily. The duration of intervention in two groups was two months. All questionnaires were completed by the patients before and after the intervention. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Larson's Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire were used to evaluate sexual function, severity of depressive disorder and sexual satisfaction, respectively. RESULTS: Based on the results of the present study, there was a statistically significant difference in sexual satisfaction and severity of depressive disorder between the groups before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). Also, our findings showed that after eight weeks, the Lactofem plus SSRIs group showed significant improvement in FSFI domains and total scores compared to SSRIs alone group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show that taking probiotics for eight weeks may improve the severity of depressive disorder, sexual function and sexual satisfaction in depressed women treated with SSRIs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.govidentifier: IRCT20160524028038N14 (19/12/2022).

The Effectiveness of Group-based Cognitive Hypnotherapy on the Psychological Well-being of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system mainly affecting young adults. In addition to physical problems, the patients suffer from many psychological problems affecting their psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of group-based cognitive hypnotherapy on the psychological well-being of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. This study was designed as a clinical trial with a pretest-posttest control group. From 60 patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis referred to Beheshti hospital in Yasuj, Iran, 45 patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected by the convenience sampling method. The patients were randomly assigned to intervention (23 individuals) and control (22 individuals) groups through stratified random allocation. After completing the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being, the intervention group attended eight sessions of group-based cognitive hypnotherapy on a weekly basis. The control group did not attend any intervention sessions. At the end of the eight intervention sessions, both groups completed the Ryff's Scale of Psychological Well-being again. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software (Version 23). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and two-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used in order to compare the groups. The results indicated that cognitive hypnotherapy had a significant effect on the total score of psychological well-being (F (45, 1) = 6.07, p = .018, η2 = 0.12) and the dimension of environmental mastery (p < .05). Therefore, it is recommended to use hypnotherapy to promote the psychological well-being of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.