Two-phase survey to determine social anxiety and gender differences in Omani adolescents.

Introduction: There is a lack of studies examining the effectiveness of some of the commonly used instruments to elicit the presence of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in Arab-speaking populations, such as those in Oman. The aim of this study was to establish the influence of social anxiety and the role of gender among Omani adolescents.

Methods: A two-phase protocol was used, entailing the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) against the gold standard, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Investigation of the cerebral blood flow of an Omani man with supposed 'spirit possession' associated with an altered mental state : a case report.

Introduction: The view that spirits may possess humans is found in 90% of the world population, including Arab/Islamic societies. Despite the association between possessive states and various neurological and psychiatric disorders, the available literature has yet to correlate possessive states with functional brain imaging modalities such as single-photon-emission computed tomography.

Case Presentation: This paper describes the clinical case of a 22-year-old male Omani patient who presented to us with an altered state of consciousness that his caregiver attributed to possession.