Effects of life-story review on quality of life, depression, and life satisfaction in older adults in Oman: a randomized controlled study.

Background: There is a need for healthcare providers to develop life-story review interventions to enhance the mental well-being and quality of life of older adults. The primary aim of this study is to examine the effects of telling their life stories and creating a life-story book intervention on QoL, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction in a group of older adults in Oman.

Methods: A repeated-measures randomized controlled design was conducted in Oman.

Retrospective study on the emotional status of healthcare workers in a COVID-19 field hospital in Oman.

Overview: To combat the overwhelming demand for medical services and care during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Sultanate of Oman launched the COVID-19 Field Hospital in 2020, designed to respond and alleviate the burden on the medical infrastructure. Several studies globally and from the Middle East suggested that frontline healthcare workers (HCW) were at risk of developing markers of psychological distress. It was further understood through research findings that HCW were resilient during times of crisis.

Workplace Violence Against Nurses in Psychiatric Hospitals in Oman: A cross-sectional multi-centre study.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) against nurses in Oman's psychiatric hospitals and explore associated factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2021 and included all tertiary mental healthcare hospitals in Oman (Al Masarra Hospital and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman). The participants completed a sociodemographic survey and a questionnaire on WPV in the health sector.

Telephone-based telepsychiatry consultations: a qualitative exploration of psychiatrists' experiences in Oman.

Objectives: The utilisation of tele-mental health services has the potential to address challenges in mental health services within the Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, the adoption of tele-mental health in Oman remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experiences of psychiatrists with telephone consultations, offering valuable insights to advance the field of telepsychiatry.

Psychiatry in the sultanate of Oman.

Oman has been recognised as the leading country in terms of recent developments in public health. However, there is a shortage of mental health services, which poses challenges for people seeking such services, particularly those from rural areas. This often results in delayed treatment and longer periods of untreated mental illness.

A Qualitative Study to Explore the Life Experiences of Older Adults in Oman.

Background: Reminiscence studies and life reviews have a number of proven advantages. Future generations gain by learning from elders' life experiences, as do older adults themselves who share their memories. Despite Oman's sizable geriatric population, research on older individuals' life experiences is scarce.

Prevalence and economic burden of dementia in the Arab world.

Background: The growing prevalence of dementia is a global concern, especially in the Arab world, where updated economic impact data are scarce. Understanding its prevalence and cost is crucial for effective policies and support systems.

Aims: To estimate dementia prevalence and cost in Arab countries for 2021.

Psychogenic hiccups in an older adult: A case report and literature review.

Hiccups are typically benign and self-limiting. However, persistent or intractable hiccups can be debilitating, and may indicate the presence of an underlying physiological or psychological disorder. A 63-year-old man presented to the behavioral medicine clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman, with a 4-year history of intractable hiccups.

P38 initiates degeneration of midbrain GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in diabetes models.

Diabetes mellitus may cause tau protein hyperphosphorylation and neurodegeneration, but the exact mechanism by which diabetic conditions induce tau pathology remains unclear. Tau protein hyperphosphorylation is considered a major pathological hallmark of neurodegeneration and can be triggered by diabetes. Various tau-directed kinases, including P38, can be activated upon diabetic stress and induce tau hyperphosphorylation.

Prescribing practices in the treatment of depression among psychiatrists in Oman.

Objectives: To examine the prescribing patterns of antidepressants among a sample of psychiatrists working in Oman and to compare these practices to the current evidence for prescribing specific antidepressant in particular clinical situations.

Methods: This retrospective cross sectional study. Massachusetts General Hospital Psychopharmacology Questionnaire, a 10-item questionnaire listing factors that might have influenced the choice of antidepressant medication, was sent to 83 psychiatrists working in governmental health sectors in Oman.

Prevalence of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction among psychiatric outpatients attending a tertiary care hospital.

Objective: To measure the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in psychiatric outpatients treated with fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine or mirtazapine.

Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. All patients above 18 years of age, attending psychiatric clinic and taking fluoxetine, paroxetiene, venlafaxine or mirtazapine for various indications were invited to participate in the study.

CERAD Neuropsychological Battery-Arabic Version: Regression-Based and Stratified Normative Data and Effects of Demographic Variables on Cognitive Performance in Older Omanis.

Background And Objectives: Normative data on cognitive performance for the Omani population are scarce. In this study, we tested a sample of older (≥50 years) community-dwelling Omanis on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery-Arabic version (CERAD-ArNB). We analyzed the participants' cognitive performance and how it was affected by their sex, age, and level of education.

Prevalence and determinants of burnout Syndrome and Depression among medical students at Sultan Qaboos University: A cross-sectional analytical study from Oman.

This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of Burnout Syndrome and Depressive Symptoms among medical students in Oman. Then, it explored whether the three-dimensional aspects of Burnout Syndrome (High Emotional Exhaustion, High Cynicism and Low Academic Efficacy) would predict the presence of Depressive Symptoms in a logistic regression model. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of medical students of Sultan Qaboos University.

Rate and Predictors of 1-year Readmission in Tertiary Psychiatric Hospitals.

Objective: To obtain the rate of 1-year readmission among psychiatric patients in tertiary centers in Oman and to study the association between readmission and sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Methods: This is a retrospective study using data from patients' medical records. All patients aged ≥18 years who were admitted to Al Masarra Hospital and the psychiatric ward at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital over a 6-month period were included in the study.

Influence of Eysenckian Personality Traits in Choice of Specialization by Young Omani Doctors.

Objectives: The role of personality in occupational specialty choices has been explored in many parts of the world. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of such studies in the Arab/Islamic population and Oman is no exception. This study aimed to explore the relationship between personality traits and specialty choice among residents of Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB).

General Anaesthesia Protocols for Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy: Retrospective analysis of 504 sessions over a five-year period at a tertiary care hospital in Oman.

Objectives: This study aimed to review general anaesthesia protocols for patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at a tertiary care hospital in Oman, particularly with regards to clinical profile, potential drug interactions and patient outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective study took place at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman. The electronic medical records of patients undergoing ECT at SQUH between January 2010 and December 2014 were reviewed for demographic characteristics and therapy details.

Physical Examinations of Psychiatric Patients who Presented at the Emergency Department of a Tertiary-Care Hospital in Oman.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the completeness of physical assessment of patients presenting with psychiatric problems to the Emergency Department (ED).

Methods: This was to observational study based on a retrospective review of the medical records of patients who attended the ED of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and referred to the on-duty psychiatrist for assessment over a 12 months period. All patients aged 16 years and above, who presented to the ED with a psychiatric complaint were included in the study.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms as elicited by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among medical trainees in Oman.

Background: Despite the increasing recognition that medical training tends to coincide with markedly high levels of stress and distress, there is a dearth of validated measures that are capable of gauging the prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical residents in the Arab/Islamic part of the world.

Objective: The aim of the present study is two-fold. First is to examine the diagnostic validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) using an Omani medical resident population in order to establish a cut-off point.

Pilot study on the prevalence of abuse and mistreatment during clinical internship: a cross-sectional study among first year residents in Oman.

Objective: To evaluate perceptions of being mistreated during internship among first year Oman Medical Specialty Board residents.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Training centres for Oman Medical Specialty Board.

Emerging Burden of Frail Young and Elderly Persons in Oman: For whom the bell tolls?

Recent improvements in health and an increased standard of living in Oman have led to a reduction in environment-related and infectious diseases. Now the country is experiencing an epidemiological transition characterised by a baby boom, youth bulge and increasing longevity. Common wisdom would therefore suggest that Omanis will suffer less ill health.

Ramadan fasting triggering koro-like symptoms during acute alcohol withdrawal: a case report from Oman.

This article describes a case of koro-like symptoms from Oman associated with alcohol withdrawal and illustrates how the socio-cultural practices of Ramadan-fasting affected the patterning and timing of presentation of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The patient was severely distressed by the delusion that his penis had been amputated. The acute anxiety involving this delusion appears to be conceptually and phenomenologically similar to koro.

Psychiatry in the Sultanate of Oman.

The Sultanate of Oman is located in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a distinctive history and subcultures. Its seafaring tradition has endowed the country with various ethnic and linguistic groups, with Arabic being a dominant language and Ibadhi being the dominant sect of Islam (Al-Nami, 1971).