Group Psychotherapy in Egypt: Past, Present, and Future.

Egypt has a central position in Africa and the Middle East. Events in the last few years have brought Egypt to the forefront of the world's interest in politics, sociology, and group psychology. This paper explores the evolution, development, and current status of group psychotherapy and group processes in Egypt. Starting from times of old in Pharaonic, Islamic, and Christian cultures, the paper discusses the theoretical orientation of contemporary group psychotherapy in the country, its status in the health care system, its training and research opportunities, and its current and future challenges.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: historical and religious perspective in the Middle East.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have provoked controversy. The ethical and legal issues have been debated but more emphasis on the cultural and religious aspects is needed.

Personality of mothers of substance-dependent patients.

Drug addicts often come from dysfunctional families. The prevailing view in the literature is that mothers of drug-dependent patients can be characterized by strong emotional bonds and overprotection. Studies suggest that maternal rejection could be a major risk factor of developing drug addiction. This work is a continuation of our previous study of childhood parenting experiences of substance-dependent patients. The aims were to compare the personality profile of mothers of substance-dependent patients and that of mothers of matched control subjects; and to examine the relation between the personality of mothers of addicts, and severity of their offspring's addiction. The study group consisted of 20 mothers of substance-dependent patients and a control group of 35 mothers of non-dependent subjects; mothers of both groups were age matched. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM IV criteria. Personalities of mothers of both groups were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Substance-dependent patients (sons) were administered the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The mean scores of the MMPI Scales were higher for mothers of dependent patients compared to mothers of non-dependent subjects. Scores on the depression, hysteria and paranoia scales were significantly higher for mothers of patients (P = 0.03, 0.02, and 0.03, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between scores of hysteria, and psychopathic deviance and the ASI (P = 0.03 and 0.01, respectively). There were significant negative correlations between scores of social introversion and the ASI drug/alcohol use status (P = 0.007), and family history dimensions (P = 0.003). Mothers of substance-dependent patients showed disturbances in aspects of personalities that might be related to initiation of perpetuation of substance dependence.