Publications by authors named "Amirhossein Shirazi"

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable worry, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, and irritability. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the first-line treatments that has demonstrated high efficacy in reducing symptoms of anxiety. Electronically delivered CBT (e-CBT) has been a promising adaptation of in-person treatment, showing comparable efficacy with increased accessibility and scalability.

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Current psychotherapeutic treatments for OCD, while effective, have complex outcomes with mixed efficacy. Previous research has observed baseline brain activation patterns in OCD patients, elucidating some of the implications of this disorder. Observing the effects of evidence-based psychotherapeutics for OCD on brain activation (through MRI) may provide a more comprehensive outline of pathology.

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Introduction: Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting up to 300 million people globally. Despite its high prevalence and debilitating effects, only one-third of patients newly diagnosed with depression initiate treatment. Electronic cognitive behavioural therapy (e-CBT) is an effective treatment for depression and is a feasible solution to make mental health care more accessible.

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Background: Depression is a hidden burden, yet it is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite the adverse effects of depression, fewer than one-third of patients receive care. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (i-CBT) is an effective treatment for depression, and combining i-CBT with supervised care could make the therapy scalable and effective.

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Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating mental health disorder with first-line treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy. CBT is costly, time-consuming, and inaccessible. Electronic delivery (e-CBT) is a promising solution to address these barriers.

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Background: Lockdowns and social distancing resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the population's mental health and made it more difficult for individuals to receive care. Electronic cognitive behavioral therapy (e-CBT) is a cost-effective and evidence-based treatment for anxiety and depression and can be accessed remotely.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of online psychotherapy tailored to depression and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic.

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Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) being the gold standard treatment. However, it is inaccessible and costly to many, as the mental health industry is overwhelmed by the demand for treatment. This means effective, accessible, and time-saving strategies must be developed to combat these problems.

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Background: Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders characterized by an inability to fall or stay asleep. Available treatments include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi). Although CBTi is the first-line treatment, it has limited availability.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the effectiveness of an electronically delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (e-CBT) compared to traditional in-person therapy for individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Both treatment methods resulted in significant improvements in depressive symptoms and quality of life, with e-CBT showing higher participant compliance rates.
  • The research suggests that e-CBT with therapist support is a viable alternative for treating MDD, warranting further investigation in future studies.
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Background: The demand for mental health care, particularly for depression and anxiety, is 3-fold greater among patients receiving oncologic and palliative care than for the general population. This population faces unique barriers, making them more susceptible to mental health challenges. Various forms of psychotherapy have been deemed effective in addressing mental health challenges in this population, including supportive psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, problem-based therapy, and mindfulness; however, their access to traditional face-to-face psychotherapy resources is limited owing to their immunocompromised status, making frequent hospital visits dangerous.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and severe mental health issue, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) being the preferred treatment; however, access to traditional in-person CBT can be limited due to various barriers like stigma, cost, and wait times.
  • - This study explores the effectiveness and practicality of an online version of CBT (e-CBT) compared to traditional in-person CBT, hypothesizing that e-CBT will produce similar improvements in depressive symptoms and quality of life.
  • - Participants, aged 18-65, will engage in 12 weeks of e-CBT via a secure digital platform, completing modules and receiving personalized feedback, while their progress will be measured through validated questionnaires and focus groups will assess broader
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Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an extremely prevalent and debilitating mental health disorder. Currently, the gold standard treatment for GAD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or pharmacotherapy. The most common medications used to treat GAD are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

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Genes communicate with each other through different regulatory effects, which lead to the emergence of complex network structures in cells, and such structures are expected to be different for normal and cancerous cells. To study these differences, we have investigated the Gene Regulatory Network (GRN) of cells as inferred from RNA-sequencing data. The GRN is a signed weighted network corresponding to the inductive or inhibitory interactions.

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Background: The considerable rise of mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on the public health sector and economy. To meet the overwhelming and growing demand for mental health care, innovative approaches must be employed to significantly expand mental health care delivery capacity. Although it is not feasible to increase the number of mental health care providers or hours they work in the short term, improving their time efficiency may be a viable solution.

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In many social complex systems, in which agents are linked by non-linear interactions, the history of events strongly influences the whole network dynamics. However, a class of "commonly accepted beliefs" seems rarely studied. In this paper, we examine how the growth process of a (social) network is influenced by past circumstances.

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